After a string of rocky outings, the Boston Celtics finally got back on track after demolishing the Luka Doncic-led Dallas Mavericks. They did that by completely shutting down the high-powered Dallas offense, allowing just 94 points to them. It's a nice return to form, for sure. However, Joe Mazzulla isn't quite satisfied: he wants the Celtics to continue executing like this on defense, per CelticsBlog.
“That’s when we’re at our best,” said Mazzulla. “We have that balanced attack, and our bench guys are playing with confidence, with poise, with aggression on both ends of the floor. So, it goes back to we’ve seen the best version of ourselves, we’ve done it for a good amount of time. Can we continue to do it over and over and over again?”
After starting the season strong, the Celtics have faltered over the last couple of weeks. Their once-formidable defense started to show cracks, which was not a good sign. The final straw apparently came just a couple of days ago, when they were manhandled by the Oklahoma City Thunder… without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. That's never a good sign.
It seems like that loss awoke something within the Celtics, and they vented all their frustrations on the Mavs, it seems. Boston's length smothered Luka Doncic all night long, and his supporting cast couldn't keep up. Meanwhile, Jayson Tatum put on a clinic on offense to finish off a complete game for Boston.
Despite that small slump, the Celtics still remain on top of the Eastern Conference. The Brooklyn Nets are right behind them, though, and are ready to swoop in if they start to stumble again.
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