The Boston Celtics looked like the clear-cut best team in the NBA for the first two months or so of the 2022-23 season. At one point, they boasted an impressive 21-5 record but the wheels are coming off to an extent right now.
In their last 12 games, the Celtics are just 5-7 and their latest loss was easily the most embarrassing one of the lot. After getting torn apart by Nikola Jokic in a loss to the Denver Nuggets, the Celtics headed off to face the lowly Oklahoma City Thunder and a return to winning ways seemed quite likely. When news also came out that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t going to play, a Celtics victory seemed inevitable, but what followed was an embarrassment of the highest order. They got crushed 150-117 and after the game, Jaylen Brown was highly critical of the team.
"We probably had it coming to us… we pick and choose when we want to play… they embarrassed us."
Jaylen Brown gets candid after tough loss to OKC pic.twitter.com/w4qEyuIuQa
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) January 4, 2023
“We got our ass kicked. That’s what happened. You come out, you take it for granted and that’s what happens. We probably had it coming to us. Came out the last couple of games, we pick and choose when we want to play.”
“We wasn’t connected, didn’t have each other’s back out there. No help side defense, we didn’t guard our yard. Those young boys over there came out and they made us look bad. They embarrassed us. They kicked our ass and that’s what happened.”
That is a bold statement to make that they are picking and choosing when to play. You need to be up and ready for every game, or else embarrassments like this game can happen. Malcolm Brogdon also admitted that the Celtics relaxed once they found out that Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t playing.
Malcolm Brogdon told me when they found out SGA was out, "We took a deep breath and relaxed. Honestly we should know better than to come out and not play with aggression, not play with energy and urgency."#Celtics #Thunder
— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) January 4, 2023
Malcolm Brogdon told me when they found out SGA was out, “We took a deep breath and relaxed. Honestly we should know better than to come out and not play with aggression, not play with energy and urgency.”
They assumed the Thunder would just lie down and let the Celtics walk over them for an easy win. This is a valuable lesson for the team and hopefully, for them, they won’t overlook an under-manned opponent next time around.
Jaylen Brown’s Frustrations Are Rising
Brown certainly hasn’t been quite pleased with what’s been going on recently. He got into an altercation with Bones Hyland against the Nuggets and had a wild take after the game as well. He also got mad at the referees last month, as he stated that they have been targeting him for traveling calls every game.
The Celtics probably did not imagine that things would get this bad for them at any point after the kind of start that they had, so it is easy to see why they are so frustrated. They were clicking on all cylinders at one point but more chinks in the armor are emerging as the weeks go by.
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