The Boston Celtics‘ win over New York Knicks on Wednesday improved them to 0.500 on the season at 26-26, a mediocre record and realistically disappointing. This start is well below expectations for a team and city found in the Eastern Conference Finals last season. In fact, it’s only another building block in the foundation that Boston simply is struggling from within, at a time where the playoffs are rapidly approaching.
Yes, Danny Ainge did go out and acquire Evan Fournier for Orlando and Mo Wagner from Chicago at the trade deadline, but is that the solution to the problem? It’s a remedy, but it only lasts for so long. Brad Stevens’ squad has struggled this season, and placing the blame entirely on him is disingenuous. In fact, there is no individual to blame for the mediocre start; it’s the team that needs to be addressed.
The victory over an upstart Knicks team that is now 25-27 and has their fans parading outside of Madison Square Garden after victories as if they won the Larry O’Brien trophy doesn’t really offer much to celebrate. In fact, it’s a sign that this Celtics team needs a shot of reality that they need to get it together.
Don’t get it wrong; there are excellent players on the team. Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum have got the names down and the talent within them, but how far can they really take this team? There’s no inside presence worth mentioning, and quite frankly, ever since the great Kevin Garnett departed to the Brooklyn Nets before turning in his shoes for a microphone, the void has been empty.
The Boston Celtics can turn things around, but unlike in the past, time is not on their side.
Boston currently sits at the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference. Thanks to the new playoff format incorporating the play-in tournament, they would meet the eighth-seeded New York Knicks for the right to be the seventh seed in the conference. Additionally, the teams ranked ninth and 10th would play one game, with the winner meeting the losing team of seven-eight for the eighth and last spot in the conference.
To avoid all the issues, why not win, right? That first starts with Stevens not trotting out the teams that resembled the Butler Bulldogs that lost in back-to-back NCAA Tournament Finals, although one was just off the rim against Duke.
At the end of the day, no one realistically expects the Celtics to challenge the Nets or the 76ers to win the conference and attempt to take back the distinction of having the most championships, a title that they now share with the Los Angeles Lakers. Additionally, with time winding down, the margin of error is razor-thin.
Brad Stevens can coach, and he has players that will play, and on any given night, they can drop the buckets. But the clock is ticking, and if things don’t get better, the jerseys won’t be the only greens that fans will bear as they stroll through the city or show in the garden.