The Celtics just cannot seem to shake off this slump.
Boston fell to 23-25 on Wednesday with their 113-108 loss to the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden.
The C’s were down two experienced centers in Robert Williams and Tristan Thompson, but it is no excuse. The injury list has not been Boston’s friend this season, but the team has managed to overcome this obstacle in years past and found ways to succeed.
This season, though, things are different. And as Marcus Smart noted, this hole will not be easy to climb out of.
But the Celtics point guard does have some hope.
“We obviously have a long road ahead of us, but I believe in this team,” Smart told reporters Wednesday night during his postgame press conference, via The Athletic’s Jay King.
“… I think we’re going to turn it around. I don’t know when.”
There isn’t much time to make adjustments if the Celtics want to avoid a play-in game or miss the playoffs in general. Boston only has 24 games left on its regular-season schedule, and some of their upcoming opponents can be fairly unforgiving.
Winning, and winning regularly, will take a whole lot more grit and determination than the team currently is exhibiting on the court.
“We’ve gotta continue to claw, scratch, sacrifice our bodies to get the job done,” Smart said, via King. “We’ve gotta continue to do it. Play the right way no matter the outcome, no matter how the game’s going and hopefully the basketball gods reward us for that.”
Can this team turn things around? Stay tuned.
