Why a tumultuous season makes the Celtics more of a threat
After the Boston Celtics suffered a disappointing home loss to the LA Clippers on Saturday night -- a second straight game that saw Boston surrender a double-digit lead before going on to lose outright -- forward Marcus Morris decided he had some things to say.
"For me it's not really about the loss," Morris told reporters. "It's about the attitudes that we're playing with. Guys are hanging their heads. It's just not fun. It's not fun. We're not competing at a high level. Even though we're winning, it's not fun. I don't see the joy in the game.cheap nfl jerseys china nike
"I watch all these other teams around the league and guys are up on the bench, they're jumping on the court, they're doing all of this other stuff that looks like they're enjoying their teammates' success, they're enjoying everything, and they're playing together and they're playing to win. And when I look at us, I just see a bunch of individuals."
This cycle, as topsy-turvy as it seems, perfectly encapsulates the way Boston's season has played out: Win a few games, and look like things are getting on track. Subsequently lose a game or two, allowing all hell to break loose. Then do it all over again.
It has been what has made this season so confusing not just for the Celtics, but for everyone -- from the media to the fans to other teams around the league -- trying to process just what this team will become. It also is why, with 24 games left before the playoffs, the Celtics -- despite all they have endured thus far -- should still be considered a force to be reckoned with once they get there.
Given the amount of drama that has surrounded the Celtics, it's easy to forget they still are on pace to win 52 games, and finish with home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. But given the expectations put upon them before the season, the fact Boston has lagged behind the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors -- and, until the past couple of days, the 76ers, too -- has added to the underwhelming feelings surrounding this squad.
Boston's internal dynamics haven't helped. When a team has its own frustrations spill out into the public sphere as often as the Celtics have this season, it's hard for those outside of the team to take a longer view.cheap nike nfl jerseys wholesale
Over the course of an 82-game season, every team has moments when it gets frustrated. In Boston this season, though, it feels as though every loss has become its own existential crisis for the Celtics, and their fans, to deal with. The outburst from Morris following Saturday's loss was far from the first time Boston's players have had harsh words about their own play.
Irving is easily having his best individual season, but he has repeatedly taken aim at the team's younger players for not buying in to what needs to be done for the Celtics to have success. The younger players, meanwhile, (mainly Terry Rozier, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown) have at times bristled at Irving's criticism -- including, on some occasions, firing back through the media. Gordon Hayward's understandably uneven progress in his return from last season's gruesome leg and ankle injuries hasn't helped, as it has sapped away minutes and touches from those same young players who led the Celtics to within a few possessions of the NBA Finals last season.
