Blake Griffin is taking accountability on behalf of the Boston Celtics.
The C’s, who’ve been on the road for the past two weeks, have fallen to new season-lows, dropping a few inexcusable contests while displaying a series of concerning struggles.
But before Boston took the floor to finish off their six-game trip against the Sacramento Kings, Griffin made it clear who’s at fault for the costly miscues that dropped Boston further below the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference standings.
“A lot of our — two of our losses this trip have been self-inflicted,” Griffin said before tipoff from Golden 1 Center, per team-provided video. “Not playing hard enough, not trusting the way we play. So really just that. … It’s about us for the most part.”
Now, going 3-2 thus far on the trip, the Celtics enter their matchup with the Kings with a 2.5-game deficit separating them and the Bucks. Plus, the Celtics have raised serious concerns regarding their ability to rebound on both ends of the floor, close out fourth quarters and get the ball in the right hands on crucial possessions.
Not to mention the red flags that Joe Mazzulla has presented himself. The first-year head coach faces the ultimate challenge of getting the train back on track before the NBA playoffs arrive, which is the polar opposite of how Boston ended last season’s campaign ahead of its NBA Finals appearance.
In 2022, the C’s finished their last 12 games with a 9-3 record, that featured five road losses. But the current Boston squad is 6-6 in its last 12 games, with 10 left scheduled, including six against teams within playoff contention.
