The Boston Celtics have been struggling since the All-Star break, and Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett believe they know the reason why.

Ever since returning to action following the All-Star festivities, the Celtics have gone 4-4 in the eight games they have played so far. More recently, they are 4-2 in their last six, which saw them drop to second in the East after being the top seed for the majority of the campaign.

According to Pierce and Garnett, however, the Celtics' woes can be attributed to the fact that their rivals had a change of mentality. Given how dominant Boston has been this 2022-23 season, other teams are more motivated to beat them. For the legendary Beantown duo, Jayson Tatum and co. are having a hard time adjusting from being the hunter to becoming the hunted.

“Other teams are encouraged,” Garnett said on their “Ticket & The Truth” show (via Boston.com). “When you’re the hunted -”

“That's the thing they've got to understand,” Pierce continued, interrupting Garnett's statement. “When you have the target on your back–they used to be the team that was chasing. Now, they’re going to be getting everybody’s best.”

Both Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are not worried about the Celtics despite their recent skid, though. The two Boston icons see the C's as playoff contenders, and they are confident the group can overcome their latest problems before the postseason rolls on.

For now, the Celtics faithful should just wait and see how the team will bounce back. Besides, they sure to be onto something after their crucial win against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday.