The Boston Celtics may be one of the top teams in the entire association as far as overall record and season-long output are concerned, but, lately, they've found themselves in a bit of a slump.
The reigning Eastern Conference Champions have recently seen their placement atop the standings drop down to number two with a whopping three consecutive losses coming against the Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, respectively.
Boston's latest loss marked their second straight overtime demise, with Cleveland clinching the win following Grant Williams' botched free throw attempts in the final second of action.
During the post-game press conference, coach Joe Mazzulla was asked by a reporter how he envisions the Celtics can bounce back following their recent “excruciating” losses, particularly their last two, and, in response, the first-year head man remained rather philosophical with his mindset.
“I don't think it's that excruciating,” Mazzulla said. “It's a part of it…I mean, we did a lot of good things for a long time after coming off a double-overtime game, second night of a back-to-back, playing three and a half quarters really well, and then just not executing down the stretch. You have to go through those things, and so, to me, in order to experience success you have to have failures. I don't like losing, I hate losing, but I understand it and I know that you need to do it in order to get to where you want to get to.”
Joe Mazzulla would continue on by calling out the reporter for using “excruciating” to describe their latest losses, jokingly saying “it's a good adjective,” though making it known that he does not agree with the usage in this context.
Through 66 games played in 2022-23, the Celtics have accumulated an overall record of 45-21, registering the third-best mark in the entire league, and look to be heading toward their second-straight Atlantic Division title.
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