BOSTON – Like most players in the NBA, “one day at a time” talk is the norm when players are speaking about a big game but don’t want to make it any more obvious than it is that it’s you know, a big game.
But for the Boston Celtics, it’s impossible to separate the importance of their next two games at home on Friday and Saturday night against Toronto and Utah, respectively.
They are games not only against quality teams, but teams that have already beaten Boston on their respective home courts already this season.
Now on the Celtics’ turf, Boston gets a chance to return the favor.
“We wouldn’t want it any other way,” Boston’s Terry Rozier told NBC Sports Boston. “We’re trying to get back to playing good basketball so it’s the best way to test us.”
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The two losses showcased both the promise and problems this Celtics team is trying to navigate through in this still-young NBA season.
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“With Toronto, I felt we were right there,” said Boston’s Al Horford. “They hurt us in transition.”
More than that, the Raptors won the game with a strong finish at both ends of the floor as they closed the game on a 12-2 run.
“We need to do a better job of getting back, getting matched,” Horford added. “And our shot selection needs to be better. I’m sure that’s something coach will emphasize.”
The loss at Utah, an emotional night in large part because it was Gordon Hayward’s first game back in Utah since he decided to sign with the Celtics in 2017, was a game in which Boston began to mount a rally in the fourth quarter after trailing most of the game.
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Boston knew it was going to be an uphill fight before that game started, because they were going to be without Kyrie Irving who was attending a memorial for his grandfather.
“Now he’ll be back,” said Horford.
But Boston will need more than Irving’s presence to emerge victorious in its next two games, which on so many levels serve as litmus tests as far as where this team is right now.
They will need him and others to be engaged, energetic and focused on the only thing that matters now – figuring out a way to win.
“We just have to be up for the challenge,” Irving said. “I’m excited for that (Toronto) game; I’m excited for both games, obviously one game at a time. That’s just a competitor’s dream; it’s the best of the best and obviously early season when we played them in Toronto it wasn’t who we are now or who we’re trying to grow into. I think that it will be a great test for us.”
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