A recent post-game meeting by the Boston Celtics was apparently more than just a meeting, following a 115-96 defeat at the hands of the white-hot San Antonio Spurs that now puts them at four consecutive losses with only eight games remaining in the regular season.
Head coach Brad Stevens noted the difference between this team get-together and others, pointing to the difference in time length.
“I wouldn't call that a meeting,” said Stevens, according to Brian Robb of The Boston Sports Journal. “It lasted a little bit longer than usual.”
The Celtics are likely in their last lifeline, now two whole games back of the Indiana Pacers for the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference — likely threading a difficult race prior to the postseason.
Stevens was active in the meeting, one of several that the team has had to have during a tumultuous 2018-19 campaign that has seen them ride highs and lows at a puzzling pace.
“I listened and talked. There's frustration in there,” said Stevens. “We got beat by a good team. We don't need to ride the emotional rollercoaster… We need to get better.”
The Celtics coach wasn't pleased with this team relying on making shots to get a win, hoping they can harness their old identity as a defensive team to take them right where they went last season under that same gritty mission.
Stevens has had to incorporate previously-injured stars like Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward onto a team that was already good enough to make the conference finals last season — a task that has proved more difficult than most had anticipated.
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