So far as Jap Convention contenders go, the Boston Celtics should not be struggling. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown nonetheless prepared the ground. The supporting solid stays intact. And on the sidelines, Joe Mazulla continues to make the most of the playbook that granted them a championship. The factor is, they’re on a stoop.
By way of their final six video games, the second-seeded Celtics are 2-4, and all of the whereas, the Cleveland Cavaliers are slowly breaking away whereas the New York Knicks are on the verge of catching up. Boston’s newest outing occurred on Sunday — a 123-114 defeat by the hands of the Indiana Pacers. Behind Tyrese Haliburton’s 31-point night time, the Pacers bounced again from their blowout loss to the Celtics two nights in the past.
Jaylen Brown had 31 factors to guide the inexperienced staff, nevertheless it wasn’t sufficient to keep away from their sixth residence lack of the season. Regardless, Brown is aware of precisely what’s inflicting the stoop, and what the Celtics must do shifting ahead.
“We gotta emphasize that we gotta get again to emphasizing the defensive aspect of the ball,” Brown mentioned, per Celtics on CLNS. “It is form of slipped over the previous few video games, our depth. And groups are pressuring us, they’re being bodily with us, we gotta do a few of the identical stuff again to them.”
The Celtics falter on Sunday
Associated Boston Celtics InformationArticle continues under
That downward slip of depth was current towards the Pacers on Sunday. Along with the Celtics being outscored when it comes to effectivity, Brown and Co. have been outrebounded by Indiana, 50-41. The Pacers additionally managed the offensive glass, as energetic bench gamers led the best way to provide Indiana 11 offensive boards. Moreover, the Celtics allowed the Pacers to play their run-and-gun model of basketball within the type of 18 fastbreak factors given up.
From December 19 thus far (the span of their final six video games), the Celtics maintain a Fifteenth-ranked defensive score (112.1) and are 14th in opponent rebounds per sport (44.8). That is fairly regarding, contemplating how they’re identified to boast one of many league’s most versatile defenses.
The schedule forward will not make issues any simpler. The Celtics’ subsequent 5 video games embrace opponents such because the Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, and Denver Nuggets. If Boston needs to regain their footing, they haven’t any alternative however to heed Jaylen Brown’s feedback.