The Boston Celtics are now 7-6 after a 100-94 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday. It’s not the kind of start that many expected with Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving healthy, but so far the Celtics look extremely mortal and beatable.
Via Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe:
Kyrie: “We’re not as good as we think we are. That’s what it comes down to.”
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) November 12, 2018
At full strength, most people feel that the Celtics can be more than just good. They have all of the ingredients from coaching to individual talent to versatility and so forth.
Irving and Hayward are still working their way back to their full forms. Hayward seems to be a more delicate process. In about 25-30 minutes of play per game, he’s only seeing single-digit shot attempts and averaging 10 points per game along with five boards. Boston’s wing/forward depth only becomes a formidable weapon if they’re all confident and in rhythm, which means Hayward along with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Morris.
Kyrie: "Right now I think it would be nice if we had someone that was a 15-year vet, a 14-year vet that could kind of help us race along the regular season and understand it’s a long marathon rather than just a full-on sprint."
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) November 12, 2018
Of course, this comment from Irving sparked Twitter chatter about Carmelo Anthony because of the latest surrounding his situation in Houston. It might suggest that he feels the team is looking ahead past the regular season. That could certainly affect their competitive accountability.
Tatum: "It’s just a matter of stopping guys. That’s what we’re known for, so we have to get back to that."
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) November 12, 2018
Boston only held one team under 100 points so far this season. It was the Orlando Magic on Oct. 22, and they lost 93-90.
In the last week, they’ve given up 123 in a loss at Utah, 109 in an overtime win at Phoenix, and 115 in a loss at Denver.
Getting back to how good they’re supposed to be likely starts with tuning things up on the defensive end.