The Boston Celtics may not be the top dogs of the Eastern Conference, but even the most casual NBA fan understands that the East would have to go through them before they even have a shot to get to the NBA Finals.
They sit second in the Eastern Conference and are heavy favorites to make a long postseason run to the NBA Finals. They established themselves as the conference’s juggernauts on the back of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis.
Many anticipated Boston’s match against the Oklahoma City Thunder as an exciting affair, as both teams are considered favorites to star in the Finals in June. The game didn’t disappoint when it came to the quality of action provided, though Celtics fans hoped the duel ended with their team taking the W.
Joe Mazzulla knows the team must perform better against the Thunder if they do square up against them in June, and Porzingis pointed out one key issue that prevented the game from turning in Boston’s favor.
Kristaps Porzingis thinks the Celtics’ defensive effort in the second half cost them the game vs. Oklahoma City
Porzingis talked to the press after the disappointing 105-92 defeat at the Paycom Center, saying that the team’s inability to meet the Thunder’s halftime adjustments contributed to the final score.
Per Masslive.com’s Souichi Terada:
“Once they turned it up a little bit in the second (half), we played stupid and we just gave some possessions away,” Porzingis said. “Once you start giving enough possessions like this, it’s just downhill for us. Rest of the time was just battling uphill. Once they made that run, we were still up four or something. But the crowd was already into it.”
Porzingis had a solid game, ending the night with 19 points, nine boards, one assist, and one steal. He wasn’t able to enforce Boston’s interior defense as he failed to net a single block through 29 minutes of play.
Mazzulla also noted the other weak points in his team’s performance:
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla pointed out a number of things that went wrong: “poor spacing, poor physicality on the ball and just poor screening.”
The Celtics won’t be greatly affected by the loss, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are the only team with a more impressive record than them. However, the C’s must learn to be more relentless against good teams if they want to make back-to-back championships.
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