The Boston Celtics have hit a rough patch. After cruising through last regular season and the playoffs on the way to their 18th title, Boston has played .500 basketball over their last 10 games.
The Celtics offense is still hitting, checking in as the third-best scoring team in the NBA. The defense has slipped. After years of being a top-five group, Boston has dropped to ninth in defensive efficiency this season. That’s where the team has to focus to turn things around, according to Jaylen Brown.
“We gotta get back to emphasizing the defensive side of the ball. It’s kind of slipped over the last few games,” Brown said. “Our intensity and teams are pressuring us and being physical with us. We gotta do some of the same stuff to them … we’ve had some great moments this season and maybe some comfort has slipped in. I mean offensively, we’re fine. I just think defensively, we gotta find ways to get more stops and be more consistent protecting the basket, helping each other, communicating and we just haven’t emphasized that enough.”
Celtics forward Jayson Tatum agreed with that assessment, saying the team needs to communicate better on that end of the floor. Tatum said the five players aren’t always on the same page and there are “too many breakdowns”.
Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said it’s also about knowing the opponent’s tendencies and knowing how to defend them.
“We gotta pay attention to the tendencies and know where we can help from, force more kick outs and multiple efforts,” Mazzulla said. “I think it’s a little bit of both (miscommunications and technique). Knowing who you’re guarding, being in shifts. It’s everything.”