The Celtics just haven't met expectations this season.
Boston dropped back to .500 on Wednesday night with a 117-110 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. The team now is seventh in the Eastern Conference.
It's worth noting the playoffs are expanded this year. But if the C's continue to perform at this level, they could slip into one of the play-in games -- or worse, fall out of the postseason altogether.
Paul Pierce thinks he knows where the problem lies.
"It's really hard to put a finger on (the exact problem)," the former Celtics star told NBC Sports Boston's Brian Scalabrine and Kendrick Perkins during Wednesday's pregame broadcast. "I know they've dealt with COVID protocols, they've dealt with injuries. But this team just lacks depth, I believe. I think they have experience. They have star power with their two All-Stars (in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown). Kemba (Walker), you know, him returning from injury and not getting to the floor where they needed to get him, and hopefully he can be there by playoff time.
"But this is a team that looks like it could possibly lose in the first round or possibly not make the playoffs or get to the conference finals. You know, when you have two All-Stars, anything is possible. These guys get in a playoff setting and have a good two-month run -- we saw that with (the Miami Heat). Anything is possible.
If you're panicking right now, though, Pierce suggests you not.
"Right now, I wouldn't push the panic button," he said. "They have a little over 30 games left and I don't think there's no need to panic or try to trade. Hopefully, Kemba can rally for them, they can start playing more consistent basketball because they're more healthy than they've been and see where they're at at the end of the year and evaluate them after the year is over."
There certainly is time to turn things around, but not much. Boston will have to buckle down big time if they want to improve in the ever-competitive East, where five games separate eight teams.
