The Celtics had a relatively smooth path to last year’s NBA title, claiming the top spot in the East by a wide margin with 64 wins, then cruising through four rounds in the playoffs. Things have been different this season as the defending champs are just 8-7 in their last 15 games and may face a tough fight to hold onto the second seed. After Friday’s home loss to Sacramento, Jaylen Brown talked to reporters, including Brian Robb of MassLive, about what has gone differently.
“Teams have adjusted to how we kind of played early in the season and we’re making adjustments back,” Brown said. “We’ve gotta be better at protecting the basket and we gotta figure out how to win games in different ways. I think that we’ve been injured for a good majority part of the year. Now a lot of our guys are all healthy all on the same floor at the same time, so just figuring that rhythm out. So, like I said, I believe in this group. We’re going to figure it out.”
Friday marked just the third game all season that Boston has entered with a fully healthy roster, although it didn’t seem to matter in the 17-point rout. Robb notes that the Celtics have struggled to adjust to Kristaps Porzingis after he missed the first few weeks while recovering from offseason surgery, as he and Jayson Tatum tend to prefer a slower pace than the rest of the team.
Brown still believes the players will figure things out.
“It’s basketball at the end of the day and we got a bunch of talented and intelligent basketball minds,” he said. “We just have to think the game and I think just our pace has a lot to do with it, just get into our spacing, I think we posted a lot tonight and it kind of slowed things down. It kinda gets guys out of rhythm. We gotta keep the pace and keep everybody engaged, and I think how we get the ball up the floor, how we get to get to the corners and all that stuff has an effect on our offense.”
There’s more from Boston:
- The Celtics heard some boos from the home crowd during the final quarter of Friday’s game, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. They were a result of increasingly common struggles at TD Garden, where the team is just 13-7 after going 37-4 last season. “Honestly, I like it,” Porzingis said. “It’s kind of deserved. They expect high level from us, high level based off our talent and what we’ve shown in the past. … I think when we’re not giving our all, I think that’s the most deserved boos. So it’s normal and that’s just a sign of them wanting us to bring up our level, bring up our energy. And we have to respond to that.”
- Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe examines some of the reasons for the Celtics’ recent downturn, including poor fourth-quarter numbers, inconsistent three-point shooting and slow pace of play. He also points to a disappointing start by Porzingis, who addressed his performance Friday night. “I haven’t been at, like, my top shape yet,” he said. “It’s been tough to have this kind of a summer and the surgery and everything. Not to make an excuse, but obviously I just haven’t been able to get back into that really top, top shape for playing. And then these small things [like ankle sprains] obviously derail you a little bit again.”
- In a video produced by the Trail Blazers (YouTube link), center Robert Williams talks about the shock of being traded by the Celtics shortly before the start of last season, Terada relays in a separate story. “I was in my basement in Boston and my agent texts me like, ‘It’s tough, but we gotta let you go,’ whatever, whatever,” Williams recalls. “I respect that always. It’s always love on that side for the opportunities. I was sad. It was my first trade. I was sad for like two or three days.”
The home losses by this Celtics team are as nauseating as they are unforgivable. They should’ve offered a FULL REFUND to every fan who attended the Kings debacle. Zero effort. Holiday and White continue to stink the place up every single game. Time to sit them both, and go with Davison and Pritchard in the backcourt.
Take a look at Celts recent three point stats. We’ve shot under 30% from three over the last four games in which our opponents took more threes and shot at a higher percentage. What? In one game Celts under 20% from three! My thought is Celts stopped passing thus our threes are always contested while with our defense of just protecting the paint allows our opponents uncontested three point shots. And look at D White and Jrue not even shooting. All this says we’ve fallen back into our old nemesis of not passing and playing one-on-one, ending up just throwing up an contested three. Come on Coach! Demand way more passing! And contest opponents’ threes. Go Celtics!
Exactly right Beach Guy. We do not run an offense. 3-point attempts are a lot more likely to be successful when part of an offense. How about drive and dish to open men instead of drive and try to finish while 4 guys stand around and watch. When you watch on offense, you tend to watch on defense too. Starters need to show a little more of the team play and excitement like Pritchard and Kornet.
It’s not even a game anymore, it’s just a three point contest for every game, and every team. The NBA should look seriously into eliminating the three point shot, until the final 8 minutes of the game. I guarantee you, it would improve the overall game by A LOT!