If the Clippers succeeded in their benchmark match in Boston, the Celtics took a big slap in the face. This defeat was a humiliation for the best team in the league, dominated head and shoulders by a Californian team as solid as ever.
” We look a lot alike “, analyzed Joe Mazzulla after this setback. “We are two very similar teams. They have wingers who can change on defense, who are physical, and they don't have weak points that can be attacked. So we look alike. What they did to us is what we did to them, at home, a month ago. »
The Celtics had indeed crushed the Californians before Christmas. Kawhi Leonard and his gang therefore gave back their piece in Boston. One everywhere, ball in the center.
“A good spanking.” Getting your butt kicked like this puts your ideas back into place,” describes Jrue Holiday. “But we know that the season is long. We can learn from this match and keep this lesson in the back of our minds. We will remember it as soon as we have had a big match before. »
From laughter to tears
Because what stands out, apart from this setback, is the context. The Celtics came out of a demonstration in Miami (with Kristaps Porzingis, absent against the Clippers), with a fiery attack. The Heat had been drowned by Boston's baskets. An impression of power and ease emanated from the performance of the men in green.
All this had disappeared in front of their audience, stifled by the Los Angeles defense. In two days, the Celts went from paradise to hell.
“It’s no coincidence that we experienced both extremes from one match to the next,” delivers the Boston coach. “This can be positive if we look at them correctly and they allow us to be balanced. Let us remain humble. Because we are never as good as we imagine, nor as bad as we think. It is important. »
This defeat is the most severe of the season for the Celtics, along with that against Milwaukee on January 11. It's a perfect test for this group, as well as a great reminder that even though the team has the best record in the league, they haven't won anything yet.
“We always talk about adversity and it's always seen as something negative, but for me, one of the most complicated things is winning consistently. All the time “, Judge Joe Mazzulla. “You have to know how to manage success and it’s as hard as managing defeats. So, no matter what, we have to focus on the character of the team. The players will react. »
| Shots | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Bp | Int | Ct | Party | Pts |
| Jayson Tatum | 43 | 35.7 | 46.8 | 36.4 | 81.3 | 0.9 | 7.5 | 8.4 | 4.3 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 26.8 |
| Jaylen Brown | 43 | 33.2 | 49.1 | 35.9 | 72.1 | 1.0 | 4.2 | 5.2 | 3.6 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 2.6 | 22.6 |
| Kristaps Porzingis | 33 | 29.7 | 52.9 | 35.9 | 84.0 | 1.6 | 5.1 | 6.7 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 19.5 |
| Derrick White | 42 | 32.0 | 45.7 | 39.6 | 89.8 | 0.7 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 15.6 |
| Jrue Holiday | 42 | 33.5 | 45.6 | 41.5 | 82.8 | 1.4 | 4.7 | 6.1 | 4.6 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 13.1 |
| Sam Hauser | 45 | 21.5 | 44.0 | 40.7 | 84.6 | 0.7 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 8.0 |
| Payton Pritchard | 46 | 21.2 | 42.5 | 38.0 | 79.4 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 8.0 |
| Al Horford | 38 | 26.8 | 48.4 | 40.9 | 85.7 | 1.3 | 5.4 | 6.7 | 2.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 7.7 |
| Luke Kornett | 33 | 15.1 | 68.5 | 0.0 | 89.7 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 3.9 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 5.3 |
| Neemias Queta | 18 | 12.4 | 58.6 | 0.0 | 77.8 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 4.4 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 4.6 |
| Oshae Brissett | 28 | 11.9 | 47.1 | 29.4 | 67.5 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 4.3 |
| Drew Peterson | 1 | 2.6 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 |
| Lamar Stevens | 18 | 6.4 | 46.3 | 28.6 | 72.7 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 2.7 |
| Svi Mykhailiuk | 21 | 7.7 | 32.8 | 29.8 | 50.0 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 2.6 |
| Dalano Banton | 22 | 7.4 | 40.4 | 14.3 | 77.8 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 2.5 |
| Jd Davison | 2 | 2.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| Jordan Walsh | 2 | 3.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
