Following his team's 100-94 loss against the Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens called out his team for allegedly lacking the sense of urgency required to win ballgames in an extremely competitive league.
According to the 42-year-old coach, the Celtics have to play with a bit more desperation, as he also pointed out his own shortcomings in this regard:
Brad Stevens: "When we’re desperate and urgent, we’re pretty good. We’ve got to do a better job — and I’ve got to do a better job — of making sure that we start games that way.”
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) November 12, 2018
On Sunday, the Celtics had yet another lackluster start, as they found themselves down by 17 points at halftime. A furious second half allowed Boston to come within striking distance, but the comeback ultimately fell short. As Stevens is trying to point out, the team would not have needed to exert so much energy in trying to come back from such a huge deficit if only they started out strong.
Unfortunately, this wasn't the case on the evening, and the fact that this has been happening more often than Stevens would have wanted is a bit concerning. The loss marked the team's fourth loss on their recent five-game road trip.
Now at 7-6, the Celtics will head back home as they prepare to host the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday to start a three-game home stint. This is not exactly a must-win game for Stevens and his team, but with the raging Toronto Raptors and Utah Jazz coming up next, a loss against the struggling Bulls would definitely be a step back for Boston.
Stevens has proven to be one of the best coaches in the game today, so there's no reason to press the panic button at this point. He should be able to figure things out soon, as the Celtics look to maintain their elite status in the wide-open Eastern Conference.
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