This season, the Boston Celtics have been quite the formidable presence. After a slight retooling of the team, they find themselves comfortably on top of the Eastern Conference. Behind an elite defense and the steady presence of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the team has slowly gained a stranglehold on the Eastern Conference throne. However, against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Celtics encountered a rough patch.

The Clippers boast a rather impressive group on defense. While their star power can't be denied, their combination of individual talent and solid scheming makes them a tough defensive unit. The Celtics were held to a measly 96 points, a testament to LA's prowess on D. After the game, Tatum spoke about the Clippers' defense and why they struggled, per Noa Dalzell.

“(Celtics') Jayson Tatum on the Clippers' defense stagnating their offense: “They've got some really good defenders over there. It's not as obvious who to attack… they're well-coached, they got good players over there.””

The most obvious players that come to mind when talking about the Clippers' defense is Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. In a way, these Clippers are a bad matchup for the Celtics: they're one of the few teams that can put two All-Defense players on their prized wing duo. Their starting lineup is no slouch, either. One could argue that James Harden is a liability, but his defense is really only limited by his effort. When he's engaged, he can be an average defender at the very least.

What further doomed the Celtics was their league-best defense crumbling against the Clippers. Without Kristaps Porzingis, the team surrendered 130+ points to LA. It's a performance that's definitely worth looking back on, if only to point out the mistakes they made.

Even with the loss, the Celtics still hold a firm three-game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks. How will Boston bounce back after this awful loss at home?