BOSTON — When Jaylen Brown signed his supermax contract in the summer of 2023, he voiced his desire for the Celtics to get back to their defensive roots. The comments set the tone for a 2024 title run as Boston’s elite defense was a constant for a team that was on a mission for redemption after a heartbreaking finish in 2023.
Brad Stevens did his best to return the same cast of characters this season but recreating the defense that the Celtics played over 100 games has been a work in progress. Joe Mazzulla called the group inconsistent last week after the team’s first losing streak of the year and that inconsistency returned Sunday night in a 123-114 home loss to the Pacers. It was statistically the second worst defensive outing of the year for Boston, who was down a pair of starters in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. However, the Celtics looked overmatched all night against the Pacers scoring firepower all night, leaning to paint domination and easy look for the visitors.
With four losses in Boston’s last six games and a defense that ranks 15th in the league in that stretch, Brown is demanding change from his teammates and coaches.
“We’ve got to get back to emphasizing the defensive side of the ball,” Brown said. “It’s kind of slipped over the last few games, our intensity. Teams are pressuring us and being physical with us. We’ve got to do the same stuff back to them. We did some good stuff in spots, but just not enough.”
Brown hinted that some of the issues may be related to a different level of urgency this year without the thirst of a title as strong coming off a title.
“We’ve had some great moments this season and maybe some comfort has slipped in,” Brown said. “Offensively, we’re fine. I just think defensively we’ve got to find ways to get more stops and be more consistent protecting the basket, helping each other, communicating. We just didn’t emphasize that enough.
“Defense is something that you’ve got to have effort. We haven’t had as much intensity and effort that we need. That’s pretty much it.”
The Celtics will need to find that defensive intensity quickly as the Eastern Conference standings. The Knicks sit just one game back of Boston after winning seven straight games and Boston’s toughest month of the season looms in January, starting with a four-game road trip on Thursday. The margin of error is gone for Boston in the standings suddenly after a dominant start and the team will need to rediscover their identity to keep pace in the East.
“Winning in the NBA is hard,” Jayson Tatum said. “We gotta understand that. We know that. Everybody is confident in our abilities and who we can be as a team. We just gotta do it. Hasn’t been the best stretch for us. That’s OK. Nobody’s panicking or anything like that. We just gotta be better.”
- BETTING: Check out our MA sports betting guide, where you can learn basic terminology, definitions and how to read odds for those interested in learning how to bet in Massachusetts.
