Why Colin Cowherd Views Celtics’ Recent Effort As ‘Human Nature’

The Boston Celtics have nothing left to play for, statistically, after locking up the NBA’s top playoff seed and the league’s best record earlier this month.

That’s led to some slightly concerning turnouts, including a 21-point halftime deficit against the New York Knicks on Thursday night.

The Celtics stormed back before ultimately suffering a nine-point loss to the Knicks at TD Garden. And rather than worrying about recent efforts, FS1’s Colin Cowherd sees the collection of a greater trend around the NBA.

Teams like the Celtics can flip the switch on the scoresheet when a flurry of capable shooters gets going from 3-point range. Cowherd believes that’s been more reflective of the Celtics of late.

“The playoffs don’t start until April 20,” Cowherd shared on “The Herd” on Friday. “So, they’re not the most focused team right now. Maybe that used to be the case.”

Hall of Famer Charles Barkley was among the media members to call out the Celtics’ tough start on Thursday, though Cowherd understood the mindset from different eras.

“It’s a life raft on bad nights,” Cowherd said. “Teams like Boston can mail it in, get outplayed and have a five-minute run late (in the) fourth quarter and end up blowing out a team by double-digits. That wasn’t the way in Barkley’s or Shaq’s (O’Neal) day.”

“This is human nature,” Cowherd continued. “They take their foot off the gas. It happens all the time in the NBA now. … I don’t think it’s a lack of care. I think it’s the reality of the 3-point shot. If you’re offensively gifted, you can fall asleep.”

The Celtics finish their final two regular-season games this weekend before beginning their ultimate quest through the NBA playoffs.