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The Boston Celtics came into the season with hopes of contending in the East again and at least posing some sort of challenge to the star-studded Nets and the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Bucks.
With their two young stars – Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown – leading the way, it wasn’t crazy to think that they could be a problem this year.
Well, the Celtics are now 32 games into their season and we can officially say that Brad Stevens’ team is a mess.
Instead of being a problem, they have lots of problems as they’ve gone off the rails and aren’t showing any signs that they’ll be able to figure things out any time soon.
The latest rock-bottom moment came last night against the Hawks. Atlanta used a 20-0 run to put up 72 points in the first half and then Trae Young and Co. cruised to a 127-112 win at home.
It was the third straight loss for Boston and it dropped them to 15-17.
15-17!
That is not great at all. Not for a team with the young stars it has and not for a team that is supposed to have one of the best coaches in the league.
Tatum and Brown will both be back in Atlanta for the All-Star Game next week but last night they didn’t look like stars at all. They combined for just 30 points and never had their team in the game against a Hawks team that is now just 14-18.
Before the game Stevens looked rattled when he was asked about his team’s difficult schedule for the start of second half of the season, which was released Wednesday afternoon. He didn’t seem like a guy whose team was in the Eastern Conference Finals for a second time just last year.
Making things worse for Boston is that Kemba Walker hasn’t been himself this year after missing the first 11 games of the season while recovering from a knee injury. His shooting has been woeful (37.5% from the floor, 34.9% from 3) and he missed last night’s game because games on back-to-back nights are not good for that knee.
This Celtics team doesn’t seem to have an identity, which is wild considering they were so close to playing in the Finals last year.
Nothing is going to get easier for the Celtics, who now find themselves possibly falling outside of the top eight teams in the East, which is insane considering the talent they have.
Something has to change and change quickly or this mess is only going to become a disaster.
Quick hits: 6 NFL free-agent bargains… Bulls surprise LaVine… Wade reflects on Tiger … And more.
– Steven Ruiz and Charles McDonald look at six NFL free-agent bargains that could help teams win the offseason.
– The Bulls pulled off an awesome surprise for Zach LaVine and his loved ones.
– Dwyane Wade reflected on Tiger Woods’ car crash that happened just a day after the former NBA star was seen on a LA golf course with Woods.
– Speaking of Tiger, someone made a pretty awesome tribute for him on the beach at St. Andrews.