It certainly seems that way early on in this condensed 66-game season, as the C's have sputtered out of gate. After falling to the Pacers, 97-83, on Saturday, Boston has now lost four straight games and sits at 4-7 overall.
The C's have averaged just 80.25 points per game during their four-game losing streak, bringing their season average to 89.9 points per game — the 26th ranked mark in the NBA. Throw in their NBA-worst 37.7 rebounds per game, and there's plenty of cause for concern in Beantown.
So what exactly is the biggest problem?
There's still plenty of time for the Celtics to turn things around, but entering Sunday, they sit behind the Knicks and 76ers in the Atlantic Division, and are tied for ninth in the Eastern Conference standings.
If you can't score or rebound, you're going to have a hard time winning games, and right now the C's look like they can't do either. In fact, it looks like they've suddenly become very old very quickly, which could make for an even more difficult second half, when this season's crazy NBA schedule really kicks into high gear.
The Big Four is still intact, but there doesn't seem to be much on-court chemistry, which is something you can bet head coach Doc Rivers is working hard to fix. After all, ubuntu can only carry you so far.
What is the biggest reason for the Celtics' early-season struggles?
