The Boston Celtics got a reality check in their blowout loss to the Toronto Raptors
The Boston Celtics went into their game against the Toronto Raptors at a near season high. They were fresh off a four game winning streak with both Marcus Smart and Kyrie Irving sidelined. The Celtics got a glimpse of what some of their secondary talent could do, and how dominant Al Horford could be in a more prominent role.
The Celtics got healthy right where everyone else was playing great, and it felt like they couldn’t be in a better position to get that three game lead over the Raptors. When the game time came, everything fell apart. None of the secondary players were stepping up like they were during the injuries, Horford had one of his worst games of the season, and Irving acknowledged that he was just not ready to be at his best.
The Celtics have already learned this season that they cannot win on the back of any individual. Irving alone cannot be carrying this team, and anytime he does that without any help around him, the results are not good at all.
The Celtics also now know that they cannot take their high energy and well functioning play for granted. The Celtics cannot just go out there and go through the motions and establish the way they want to play, no Brad Stevens team has ever been built like that.
More from Hardwood Houdini
- Boston Celtics’ two-way contract decision will be made after training camp
- Proposed trade sends Boston Celtics playoff killer to the Cs from rival
- ‘Face of Germany’s stunning run’ in FIBA World Cup not the only ex-Boston Celtics player to win gold
- Proposed Boston Celtics trade target pitched for reunion with fired coach
- Battle For Banner 18: Will Boston Celtics battle historical foe in 2024 Finals?
This Celtics team is build on the fact that they are going to use each and every player as an active passer and, for the most part, active shooters and floor spacers. That requires each player on the court to be aware of what role they need to play, and they need to execute it in order for the rest of the team to fall in line.
Obviously, some players have more responsibility and more difficult tasks within that offense, but they need everything working together to function properly. When Irving went down, everyone else on the rest had the mentality that they needed to make sure this whole team is functioning well. Everyone was getting involved and they were able to get every player on the court comfortable, while playing deadly defense no matter who was on the court.
The Celtics have a lot of issues that have been masked by their winning this season, but it is only masked when they are the hardest working and highest functioning team on the court. When the Celtics lose that edge, they are not able to compete with these top teams in the league.
The Celtics are wild and inconsistent because they need so many different players to be playing well for them to be at their best, and the Raptors are much more polished and do not have to deal with that.
The Celtics are still discovering a lot about themselves, and they are not in a position where they can change their mentality and think that is enough to elevate their game. The Celtics need that mentality to be translating to the court, and they need it to be happening to multiple players.
The Raptors are a team that can go out there and know exactly what they need to do, and they are constantly in a great position to get that out of their players. For the Celtics, they are still figuring things out, and that makes it a lot harder for them to consistently be playing their best basketball. That forces them to look for other ways to make up that edge, and they did none of that against the Raptors.
Who knows how these teams will look come playoff time, but right now, the Raptors are a team that looks a lot more ready than the Celtics. The good news is that there is still time for the Celtics to figure things out, and find the kind of consistency on the court and in their roles that the Raptors have.
The Celtics fell apart in a terrible way against the Raptors, because not a single player found that extra edge. Everyone on the court was just going through the motions, thinking they would be able to take care of their business. The Celtics should be able to realize now that they can never lose that edge or that intensity that has always defined a Stevens team.
It did not look as bad during that winning streak, but Smart is the individual most responsible for making those other additional plays to make up for when they are not functioning properly. Smart also brings that mentality out of the players around him.
Next: What to Make of Smart Trade Talk
The Celtics know they can score without Smart, and we have seen their defense play phenomenally without Smart. The loss to the Raptors showcased perhaps the biggest problem in losing Smart, and that is the competitive edge he brings out that has helped mask a lot of the problems that were at the forefront in a blowout loss to the Raptors.