With things looking up in Los Angeles, all eyes fell to New York on Thursday night, where two of the East’s most disappointing teams squared off.
After building a 25-point lead, it looked like the Celtics would cruise to victory over the Knicks, who came into the game reeling.
Instead, the Celtics blew their lead and, by the end of an embarrassing fourth quarter, lost the game by 3 points.
After the game, Kendrick Perkings called out the squad, calling them ‘broken’ in light of what has been an ugly season for the team.
“When you look at this Celtics team right now, I think the word is ‘broken,’” Perkins said. “When the Knicks made that run in the third quarter, I said to myself ‘once they cut it to seven [points] going into the fourth, it’s about to be over.”
On #Celtics Postgame Live, @ChrisForsberg_, @aminajadeTV, and @KendrickPerkins try and talk thru what happened in the #Celtics loss tonight.
Perk: "The Celtics are broken right now." pic.twitter.com/fKkMUgi1jC
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) January 7, 2022
Just a few years ago, the Celtics looked to be one of the most promising teams in the East. Even now, there is a sense they could turn things around any moment with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum on the roster.
But unless something changes, there may be no solution. Amid their growing struggles, calls for a trade have grown louder, and the idea of splitting up the Js is more popular than ever before.
Through it all, there are few who remain faithful that the two young stars can get the job done.
“I never believed that (it’s right to separate to star players),” Paul Pierce said. “I truly believe it’s about putting the right pieces around your great players. They’ve proven they can be All-Stars in this league. In order to win in this league, you have to have star talent around the perimeter. That’s what the Celtics have, and that’s something you need to build around.”
For now, there’s no telling what the next move might be for Boston. Does it involve a lineup change? A roster change? A culture change?
Whatever the case, they’ve got to figure something out fast before the season leaves them behind entirely.
‘Broken’ is no doubt the perfect word to describe the current state of the Celtics.
