The Boston Celtics began their 2022-23 season red-hot, but as of late, they have struggled to rediscover that unstoppable momentum that propelled them to their NBA-best start.
Before the Celtics took the floor against the Dallas Mavericks on the road on Thursday night, they entered the contest with back-to-back double-figure losses. Their most recent defeat on Tuesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder resulted in a 150-117 loss that featured a third-quarter Marcus Smart ejection. In other words, just about nothing went well for the Celtics.
Yet, Boston remained atop the NBA at 26-12 with a one-game cushion of runner-up Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference standings. And before the Celtics faced the Mavericks, Malcolm Brogdon offered up a few words of encouragement with Boston trying to get back on track.
"I think it's just relying on each other, trusting each other, not blaming each other, not listening to any outside voices or any distractions," Brogdon said before Thursday's game, per team-provided video. "Sort of keeping the blinders on and focusing on how we can improve game by game, possession by possession. And continuing to focus on the details, focus on our scouting report, focus on the things that we work on every single day."
During the ugly loss versus the Thunder, Brogdon scored 17 points -- his highest in Boston's last five games. And with the entire starting lineup having notched a negative plus-minus, while the Thunder had seven double-digit scorers, the Celtics were destined for the loss column.
"I think we're gonna always be, throughout the season, one of the most scrutinized teams in the NBA," Brogdon said. "People are watching. There are a lot of people that wanna see us slip and fall. ... It's pressure. And we gotta block that out."
Brogdon also mentioned where he felt the Celtics went wrong against the Thunder. Boston had a major advantage throughout the contest, courtesy of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's absence. Gilgeous-Alexander had averaged a career-best 30.8 points through 34 games to lead the Thunder in scoring this season.
"A lack of focus," Brogdon said. "Not focusing on the details. Really focusing more on the things that don't matter. Who they have on the floor, who were playing, what their record is -- things that are irrelevant. So for us, it's about our focus, what we focus on and really focusing on ourselves, not our opponent."
