Cedric Maxwell isn’t happy with the Celtics, and it’s easy to understand why.
Boston was outclassed by the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday in its playoff opener, suffering a 104-93 loss to a superior team. Many believe the Celtics have little chance of winning even one game in its first-round NBA playoffs series.
But how did we get here? Why are the C’s underachieving?
Maxwell, a Celtics legend, believes toughness — or lack thereof — is to blame.
“I think the biggest thing about this team right now is toughness,” Maxwell said Tuesday morning during an appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub. “Marcus Smart can’t be your only crazy uncle on your team if you’re going to win basketball games. Your two top players have to be more aggressive. And, you say, ‘Max is talking about violence’ — yeah, you damn skippy, I am. Because one thing that happens in this league: Ain’t nobody gonna punch nobody. Guys aren’t even gonna fart good in this league right now. But your best players have to be advocates for themselves.”
Maxwell added: “(Jayson) Tatum is probably going to be the greatest scorer in the history of the Celtics. But if this team is going to go to another level, he’s gonna have to take up for himself from time to time, and then that’s gonna go down the line and everybody else is gonna step forward.”
Maxwell does make good points — and fairly obvious ones. The Celtics have played a soft brand of basketball for the last two years, and it’s a big reason why their season likely will be over within the next week or so.
The Celtics will look to avoid going down 0-2 when they square off with the Nets in Game 2 on Tuesday night in Brooklyn.
