The Boston Celtics were dominant on their run to an NBA championship last season, finishing the year 80-21 overall when you combine their regular season and playoff record. Their title defense hasn’t been as easy thus far. Boston is just 8-8 over its last 16 games after falling to the Atlanta Hawks, 119-115, in overtime on Saturday night.
Boston is the league’s most three-point heavy team in terms of shot profile, and the shots haven’t been falling quite as frequently during this rough stretch. That was again the case against Atlanta, as the Celtics only made 15-of-52 shots (28.8 percent) from deep. Beyond the shooting variance, Boston just feels like a team that isn’t quite as locked in as they usually are right now. Their fourth quarter collapse and subsequent loss to the Hawks proved it again.
The Celtics had a three-on-one break during the second quarter that somehow turned into a turnover. This is typically an easy two or three points for Boston, but instead they didn’t even get a shot off when Sam Hauser’s alley-oop to Jayson Tatum sailed over his outstretched hands. This doesn’t look like the same team that ran through the league last year.
NBA players are so good that it’s rare you see them botch a 3-on-1 break like this. If they converted this opportunity, maybe the game never goes to overtime, and the Celtics win.
Celtics fans are through it right now:
Celtics haters shouldn’t celebrate too early. The team is still third in net-rating over its last 15 games, and has blown out quality teams in the Magic, Rockets, and Pacers during this rough stretch. Now Boston is set to go on the road for a four-game West Coast trip. Will the time on the road bring them together, or will it only exasperate their recent struggles?
It just feels weird to see the Celtics be so sloppy. Regardless of how this season ends, their path to a potential championship will likely look a lot more difficult than last year’s cakewalk.
