Celtics Preach Unity As Gauntlet Awaits After December Dip

The NBA’s reigning champions haven’t looked the part this month. After falling 123-114 to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, the Boston Celtics are 7-6 in December. In 32 games, they have six home losses. They had four last regular season.

“We’ve got to take some ownership,” said Jayson Tatum after a 118-114 Christmas loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on the TD Garden parquet. “We’ve got to be better. We’ve got to acknowledge the things that we’ve done not so great. We’ve got to look in the mirror and man up.”

While they did so in a dominant two-way display in a 142-105 victory vs. the Pacers on Friday, two days later, seven of nine players on Indiana shot at least 50 percent from the field.

“When you’re not playing well defensively, that’s on everybody, that’s on the staff, that’s on the coaching, that’s on the players,” said Joe Mazzulla post-game. “Just got to continue to work at it.”

Tyrese Haliburton had 31 points, with 18 occurring inside the paint. A guard has scored at least 30 points against the Celtics in five of Boston’s six losses this month.

“We’ve got to pay attention to the tendencies,” stressed Joe Mazzulla of the need for his team to do a better job of limiting guard penetration. “And we have to know where we can help from and force more kickouts…It starts at the point of attack.”

“A lot of offenses, it’s a lot of movement, a lot of trying to cause confusion, and that’s really testing the communication on the defensive side,” conveyed Derrick White.

“Knowing the scout, knowing what teams like to do. When we do really well, [we] try to force them to do something they don’t want to do. But we’re allowing them to get to what they want…We’ve got to lock into that aspect of the scout and — obviously — communication and flying around after that.”

While the absences of Jrue Holiday [right shoulder impingement] and Kristaps Porzingis [left ankle sprain] are significant blows to Boston’s defense, and on-and-off lower back pain plaguing Sam Hauser has significantly impacted his defense, especially on the ball, the Celtics were capable of a far better showing than the lapses in defensive intensity and attention to detail displayed on Sunday.

“Winning in the NBA is hard,” Tatum told Forbes when asked if he is surprised by Boston’s drop in defensive intensity and attention to detail after his Christmas comments and Friday’s win.

“We’ve got to understand that. We know that. Everybody is confident in our abilities and what we can be as a team. We’ve just got to do it. And it hasn’t been the best stretch for us, and that’s okay. Nobody’s panicking or anything like that. But we’ve just got to do better.”

A New Year’s Eve matinee against a 7-25 Toronto Raptors team that has the third-lowest winning percentage in the Association is a perfect opportunity for a tune-up entering a grueling gauntlet.

The Celtics usher in 2025 with a road trip against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Denver Nuggets. They’ll face the Dallas Mavericks twice, both Los Angeles teams, the Lakers and Clippers, the Golden State Warriors, the 76ers, the Cavaliers, and the Knicks between Jan. 20 and Feb. 8.

“I’m actually really excited about it,” said Mazzulla. “It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be great.”

“We’ve got to get out of it together,” expressed White of what he stated, “might be the toughest stretch that I’ve been on since I’ve been here in the Celtics. So, it’s just gonna bring us closer together.”

It’s worth noting that even after Sunday’s loss, Boston is generating the third-most points per 100 possessions (119.5), is eighth in defensive rating (110.1), and has the third-highest net rating (9.4).

A drop in performance looks different for the league’s most talented team than it does for others. Still, as the Celtics acknowledged, it’s time to shake off their holiday funk and sharpen the habits that will play a significant role in whether they become the first team since the 2017-18 Warriors to win consecutive NBA titles.