Golly gee willikers, the Boston Celtics stink.
The Celtics lost again Wednesday night, getting run out of the gym by the Atlanta Hawks. In the process, they fell two games below .500 and have lost eight of their last 11 games.
Fun has been hard to come by for Brad Stevens and his team. The notoriously positive-thinking head coach tried to look on the bright side of things — where he could — during a weekly radio interview Thursday, but even Stevens had to admit it’s been rough sledding for a while.
“I was just telling my wife: I had a root canal and my identity stolen last week, and I think those were, like, two of my better days in the last eight days,” Stevens said on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak and Bertrand” on Thursday.
“It’s just been what it is. We’ve found ways to lose in New Orleans, and we introduced that into the equation. They made great plays, and they were terrific in that stretch. The Dallas game, it was kind of back and forth. We had some moments, we didn’t have some moments. And (Wednesday), we just didn’t play well. Those guys hit us with a barrage of 3s. It was 30-27 with a minute to go in the first, and before you look up, it’s a 20-point game.”
The Celtics get their next chance to right the ship Friday, and Stevens said he believes his team is ready to turn it around.
“We have to come to shootaround (Friday) with an attention to detail, with a focus on only those things we can control and playing to that maximum effort we’re capable of doing and let the chips fall where they may. If we make shots, we make shots. If we don’t, we don’t. I think we will. I think we’ll respond to that. This has been a tough stretch.”
The good news for Stevens — in addition to improved oral health — is it doesn’t sound like he’s coaching for his job. Both Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck and president of basketball operations Danny Ainge have gone to bat for Stevens in recent days, vouching for the eighth-year head coach as the short- and long-term option to lead the Celtics.
