of boston celtics Last season, they showed overwhelming strength and won the NBA championship, finishing the season with 80 wins and 21 losses in the regular season and playoffs. Their title defense hasn't been that easy so far. Boston has just 8 wins and 8 losses in its last 16 games since falling to the league. atlanta hawks119-115, in overtime Saturday night.
Boston is the league's most 3-point shooting team in terms of shot profile, and their shots haven't been falling as often during this rough period. The same thing happened against Atlanta, where the Celtics only made 15 of 52 (28.8 percent) from deep. Beyond the inconsistent shooting, Boston feels like a less solid team than usual right now. A fourth quarter collapse and subsequent loss to the Hawks proved that again.
The Celtics had a 3-on-1 break during the second quarter that somehow resulted in a turnover. Normally this would have been an easy couple of points for Boston, but they couldn't even get a shot past Jayson Tatum's outstretched hands off Sam Hauser's alley-oop. This doesn't look like the same team that ran through the league last year.
NBA players are so good that it's rare to see them fail a 3-on-1 break like this. If they can seize this opportunity, the game will probably not go to overtime and the Celtics will win.
Celtics fans are experiencing this situation right now.
Celtics haters shouldn't celebrate too soon. The team is still third in net rating over the past 15 games, defeating quality teams in the Magic, Rockets, and Pacers during this tough period. Boston is currently scheduled to embark on a four-game trip to the West Coast. Will their time on the road bring them together, or will it only exacerbate their recent conflicts?
It feels weird to see the Celtics this sloppy. Regardless of how this season ends, the path to a potential championship will likely be much more difficult than last year's easy win.
