The Celtics deserve to be relegated
Even Ted Lasso would call this team soft. If you are not gearing up for season two of Ted Lasso by re watching season one of Ted Lasso, then you need to be relegated.
The Celtics dropped last night’s game 119 - 115 in a lifeless embarrassing performance. Have you heard that before? The Thunder had lost 14 games in a row coming into the contest. Now, I get it. You were missing 3 of your starters including your best player in Tatum. But, that does not excuse the obvious lack of effort especially on the defensive end. Where is the all powerful, all NBA defender, heart of the team, future hall of famer Marcus Smart?
Getting blown out at the Charlotte Hornets and then following it up with a home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder (who were on a 14-game losing streak and on a back-to-back) are more than worrisome losses. They can be panic-inducing. The Thunder loss is the latest in a growing list of “worst loss of the season” for Boston.
It’s getting too late to continue to believe in the “we’ll figure it out” talk coming from the locker room. At some point, you are what you are. The Celtics seem to be a slightly above-average team. They can beat anyone when they play well. When they don’t, they can be beaten by anyone.
Jaylen goes out and puts up 30 again, but these stats from him and Tatum are hollow. It’s good players racking up points on a bad team. I have been a proponent of patience for more of this season. (I’ve had my moments of selling the team off to Bangladesh here and there too). I have precached patience because the keys for the franchise were handed to a 22 and 23 year old with egos bigger than the building they play in in a season marred with disruptions and a depleted roster from years past. There were going to be bumps. But the complete lack of professionalism is pathetic. It’s insulting.
The Celtics are not going to miss the playoffs. If they ever get their starting 5 back healthy for a stretch they may even win a play off series. At the very best I can see them making noise against either the Nets or 76ers in the second round. But, that’s only if all the chips fall exactly the way they should. This is a soft front running team with absolutely zero sack. Again, have you heard this before? Flip the broken record, rinse, and repeat.
