Friday evening, the Boston Celtics lost their third game in a row, this time to the Milwaukee Bucks by a score of 120-107. At one point in the contest, the Celtics trailed by as much as 26 points .

After the game, the coaches and players had a meeting in the locker room before the media was allowed in.

Celtics star point guard Kyrie Irving mentioned Thursday evening that the team needed to play better together, per Tom Westerholm of MassLive.com:

“It’s like for some games that we’ve played, when we try, we’re in the game all the time. And when we don’t, we’re clearly not.”

Irving expounded on the meeting, telling Clevis Murray of The Athletic:

“Much needed, much needed. I think everyone can see that we've obviously had some inconsistencies regarding our play, so I think it was just time to address it It's an everyday job, I've been saying it since the beginning of the season. It's not going to look pretty, it's not going to look great at all times. The biggest thing for me is just patience and I think also just being honest with each one another in just how we feel. You know, being able to talk to one another without anybody taking it personal.”

It seems that Irving is at the center of pointing the finger for the Celtics. His leadership skills are being tested, and so is his patience. Irving believes that he should have the ball in his hands, that's why he requested to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers two offseasons ago.

The Celtics are now 18-13 on the season and fifth in the NBA's Eastern Conference. They play next at home against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.