Boston Celtics president Danny Ainge was critical of his team's effort in the aftermath of a two-game skid. Boston has lost to the Washington Wizards and the San Antonio Spurs, two sub-.500 teams, this week.
“The players just have to play harder. It's that simple. It's not harder any than that,” said Ainge during an appearance on the Toucher & Rich show. “You've got to show up to win. You can't just show up to play. There's a big difference between showing up to win a game and showing up to play a game.”
The lack of effort during this recent stretch spans beyond the Celtics' two losses, however. They cruised through their two previous wins against the Atlanta Hawks and the Chicago Bulls, winning by three and seven points respectively.
The Celtics have been much better than most anticipated after losing Kyrie Irving and Al Horford in free agency over the summer. They've been good enough to stay in the top three in the East, trailing the Miami Heat by a game and the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks by six games. Yet they have relied on the sheer scoring punch they have at hand, counting on Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum to find the answers offensively.
Wednesday's 129 points given up to the San Antonio Spurs were the most points they allowed in a loss, and the second-most they've given up against any opponent this season. They won a shootout against the Wizards early in the season by a score of 140-133.
Boston is still working out the kinks of this new-look team, and hoping to make end-of-season run to lock down a good playoff seed. But effort is the one thing Ainge and head coach Brad Stevens hope becomes more consistent through the remaining games of the regular season.
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