6 takeaways from the Boston Celtics ugly loss vs. the Chicago Bulls
PippenAintEasy.com
In what was arguably the most disappointing game of the season, the Boston Celtics fell to the Chicago Bulls last night, 114-128. They had a huge lead going into the fourth quarter but slowly watched as it dwindled away. The Bulls outscored the Celtics 39-11 in the fourth quarter. It was a truly ugly display. What are some of the top takeaways from the contest?
Takeaways from the Boston Celtics loss vs. the Chicago Bulls
1. Resting on their laurels
Ime Udoka spoke after the game about how the Celtics took their foot off the gas. There’s no better way to explain what happened last night. Boston simply stopped giving it their all in the fourth quarter and the Bulls took full advantage. Now, it’s not like the Bulls are a bad team, they’re now 6-1 on the season. However, there’s no excuse for how poorly the Celtics played in the fourth quarter last night. It was downright embarrassing.
2. Marcus Smart called out Boston’s stars
In what will end up being the story of the night, Marcus Smart called out Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in his postgame interview. He said that “every team knows we're trying to go to Jayson and Jaylen. Every team is programmed and studied to stop Jayson and Jaylen. I think everybody's scouting report is to make those guys pass the ball. They don't want to pass the ball.”
When the supposed captain of the team says something like that, things are getting really bad. Smart always speaks his mind, but this time it feels different. This could go one of two ways. Either Tatum and Brown take that feedback and run with it, or the relationship between the bunch goes south. Only time will tell from here on out.
3. Tatum and Brown need to be leaders
To make matters worse for Boston’s stars, both Tatum and Brown declined to speak with the media after the game. That is not the attitude fans want to see from the leaders of the team. On top of that, the team as a whole deserves better than that. After what was quite possibly the worst loss in the past few years, a real leader needs to step up and face the music.
4. Tatum needs to break this slump
Historically speaking, Tatum gets off to a slow start every season. However, this year it seems worse than ever. The reason for that is the fact that the Celtics are currently 2-5. Jaylen Brown has been playing fine, Al Horford Looks incredible, and yet the team is wasting away towards the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Whatever is holding Tatum back, he needs to figure it out sooner rather than later. Shooting below 30% from three is unacceptable after nearly reaching the 40% mark last season.
5. Udoka should play the young guys
Payton Pritchard and Aaron Nesmith played key roles for the Celtics last season. This year neither is getting significant minutes. There’s definitely more talent ahead of them, but if the team is struggling this bad, then maybe it’s time to switch things up. Playing Pritchard and Nesmith can’t make things any worse than they are right now. Udoka needs to step out of his comfort zone a little bit.
6. Something is really wrong
As if this weren’t obvious, there is something really wrong with the Celtics this season. They play great defense for a certain amount of time, but then they give all the points right back. They play great offense for stretches, but then they revert back to not moving the ball. Last year, the scapegoat was Brad Stevens. Fans may try to pin this season on Ime Udoka, and maybe his rotations could be better, but at the root of the problem lies the players. They need to shape up, or it’s going to be a long, long season for the Celtics. They are getting paid millions of dollars to play a schoolyard game. The least they could do is look like they care.
The Boston Celtics will try to get back on track tomorrow night as they take on the Orlando Magic. That game tips off at 7:00 p.m. (EST) and can be streamed on NBC Sports Boston and NBA League Pass.
