It appears the situation in Boston is quickly plummeting toward its nadir. Everyone expected some growing pains this year as they tried to reintegrate both Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward back into the rotation after they both missed most of last season with injuries.
But they didn’t anticipate that it would be such a roller-coaster through the quarter mark of the regular season. After a sluggish start, they went on an eight-game win streak to climb back up the standings, but they’ve now lost three straight after falling to the Bucks on Friday night, 120-107, in a game in which a shorthanded Boston squad trailed by as many as 26 at one point.
Afterward, they reportedly made the media wait for more than a half hour before they opened up the locker room in order to hold an impromptu team meeting.
The Celtics didn’t open the locker room for 36 minutes after tonight’s game. Meeting between players and coaches to discuss the way the team has been playing. Celtics have now lost three in a row after falling to Milwaukee tonight in a game they trailed by as many as 26.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) December 22, 2018
They weren’t exactly apologetic about it either, as evidenced by Kyrie Irving’s response when asked about what went on behind closed doors.
Kyrie Irving on the meeting: “That’s none of your business.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) December 22, 2018
Nor did they seem particularly interested in delving too deeply into what happened during their loss to Milwaukee.
Jaylen Brown asked what happened after Celtics started game on 10-1 run: “We lost the game. Milwaukee scored more points than we did.”
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) December 22, 2018
Without Al Horford (knee) and Aron Baynes (broken finger) in the lineup, the Celtics got out-rebounded 31-13 in the first half, trailed by 17 at the half, and never recovered.
The Celtics probably don’t need to panic at this point given their injury issues and recent hot streak, but it’s clear that the frustration of not being able to get back on track and sustain it for an extended period is starting to take its toll.
