Despite the losses piling up for the Boston Celtics like December snow in New England, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens sees growth in his team’s play.
They’re not getting wins but he does believe they are getting better.
“I said the last couple of days we made progress,” Stevens told reporters after Boston’s 108-101 loss at San Antonio on Wednesday.
SPURS 108, CELTICS 101:
- Highlights: San Antonio Spurs 108, Boston Celtics 101
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- Celtics come up short in 108-101 loss to Spurs
Stevens is quick to acknowledge that the Spurs did a great job of fending off each Celtics run with a spurt of their own, “but hey, we had our moments where we played really well.”
He’s right.
Boston Celtics
But that’s the problem.
Good play by the Celtics has been nothing but a snapshot in games while opponents are consistently putting together masterpieces down the stretch.
“We’re making strides in a positive direction at both ends of the floor,” said Boston’s Avery Bradley. “Once we’re able to put together a whole game, I feel like we’ll get back to playing the right way. Once we get back Isaiah, he’ll be able to help us out at both ends of the floor. All we can do is build off those great things, let it carry over to the next game.”
It sounds good, but maintaining that confidence that things are heading in the right direction is a lot easier said than done.
“I’m definitely seeing progress,” said Boston’s Marcus Smart. “But we’re making mistakes and have some things to work on. We have a lot of things to clean up.”
Jae Crowder is one of the more competitive Celtics you’ll find on this roster. He readily admits that the frustration level inside the locker room is “pretty high” right now.
And like his coach and teammates, he also believes that progress is being made.
But getting better has to eventually lead to getting wins, right?
“We’re seeing progress. We watch a lot of film,” Crowder told reporters following the Spurs loss. “But as a player, you get to thinking, ‘how long are we going to be talk about that (progress)? I’m ready to see some wins to be honest with you. And I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get wins against top teams.”