The San Antonio Spurs might not have the better record, but on Wednesday night against the Boston Celtics, they were easily the better team.
After turning in one of the worst defensive performances of the season, head coach Brad Stevens was as close to living with the defensive lapses as he seems to get. “We’re not guarding the lane; we’re not protecting the rim … I’m talking about everybody,” related Stevens. “We couldn’t stop a nosebleed,” he added to emphasize just how bad the defense was. And while it would make us happy to disagree, there were simply long stretches of play where Boston’s defensive focus and effort can only be called shameful.
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With that the Celtics racked up a loss that easily could have been a win as the schedule ticks upwards in difficulty for a stretch.
And while the feel-good stories of the return to health and the offensive leaps made by Boston’s two young wings has been a pleasure to cover, it also seems to be coming at the expense of one of the fundamental principles of Celtic identity on the defensive end of the court.
Jayson Tatum led the team with 25 points and 7 rebounds, Jaylen Brown chipping in 24 points and both Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart adding 14 points each, but this team will need to rediscover its defensive identity soon to measure up to its own title aspirations.
This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
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