BOSTON – There were plenty of issues affecting the Boston Celtics on Friday that played a role in their 97-91 loss to the Indiana Pacers.
But there was one that for head coach Brad Stevens, stood out from the rest.
“I would just say that, you know, I think that our biggest issue as a team is we – we aren’t crisp,” Stevens said. “We don’t crisply do things on offense. We ... are probably more of a short-cut taking team than we need to be, to be the best version of ourselves.”
It is stinging but truthful assessment of where the Celtics (40-17) are right now.
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There are certain things that teams near the top of the standings consistently do, a certain brand of consistent toughness being among the chief character traits of such teams.
We have seen that quality in the Celtics this season, but not nearly as consistent as Stevens wants and frankly, expects from his team.
Boston Celtics
During his post-game press conference, Stevens would later elaborate on what he meant when he said the Celtics are a “short-cut taking team.”
“We just have to – we have to get better cutting, we have to get better screening, we have to get to our spots quicker, we have to not take for granted not every single cut,” Stevens said. “We have to get the ball where it needs to be. We’re just not as good. And to me, that’s on me. And I’ve got to do a better job of holding us accountable to doing that. And so, you know, I will do that.”
Boston had its moments when everything seemed to click.
And it is in those moments where the huge deficits they run up early in games, become part of the past in addition to feeding into the narrative of them always finding ways to rally for a win.
“We fought really hard to get back into the game but … it’s hard, going on those crazy runs that we did, to maintain that,” said Boston’s Jaylen Brown. “And if we would’ve maintained it in the first half, we probably would’ve been in better position towards the end of the game.”
While it’s unlikely to result in a major change to his starting lineup or his rotation choices, don’t be surprised if you see certain players like Daniel Theis begin to log more minutes.
The kind of changes that Stevens hinted at, are the kind that tend to play themselves out in practice which is something the Celtics don’t do much of for a variety of reasons with chief among them being to avoid additional injuries.
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Marcus Smart is out past the All-Star break after suffering a right-hand laceration that required 20 stitches to close when he punched a picture frame.
Shane Larkin has had knee soreness and he too not return to the Celtics lineup until after the break.
Limited practice time or not, Stevens seems absolutely determined to bring about change sooner rather than later on the aforementioned areas of concern.
“We’ll have enough practice time to do it well,” Stevens said. “Then it will be, you know, if we decide that it’s the most important things.”
Following the game, Stevens was quick to credit the Pacers for how they played and for the most part kept him and the Celtics off their game.
That being said, Stevens sounds like a man convinced that more than anything else the Celtics must play with greater effort.
“But you know, in the first half, I mean, maybe it’s their speed,” Stevens said. “Maybe it’s the force they were playing with, but for (whatever) reason we were behind on everything. And I think it starts with our desire to really, really execute.”