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BOSTON (CBS) – The Celtics know that if they want to compete for a title this season, they will have to be a great defensive team.
Three pre-season matches in their quest for a title in 2018-19, they are not a great defensive team. They are not even a good defensive team, and head coach Brad Stevens has announced a defeat after losing 102-95 to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.
The Celtics looked like a bunch of matadors for the third consecutive game, allowing far too many passes for those who want it. They have now awarded 106 points per game in pre-season. The Hornets and Cavs managed 41% of their shots on the ground and 35% of the city center. In all three games, the Boston opposition has also been offered a lot of Celtics defense gifts, averaging 38 free throws per game. In total, the Celtics committed 92 personal fouls.
The defense was brutal and Stevens did not mince his words after the defeat on Tuesday night.
"I thought we looked like a sieve defensively," he said in that Mad Brad tone. "I could not be more impressed after our first three games of exhibition games."
Stevens looked like a father who was disappointed by their child for tampering with their homework. Stevens has to wonder if it's his system or if his players are not making the effort.
"Do you always start by doing it well enough? Do you perform techniques? Are we doing enough? All this, he says. "Then you go to, do we have to change it? Which could very well be a change of staff or system. "
Stevens discussed a number of problems he saw, and many of them were focused on open fire (layups, jumpers, three – all the kit and caboodle) that the Celtics give to their opponents.
"I mean, we have a lot of work to do, it's pretty clear," he said.
Stevens is not alone in his concerns, either.
"We did not play with this fight. And I think that's what Brad sees, "said forward Jaylen Brown. "We'll get there, but it takes time. It takes longer than expected to solve the problem. "
You can emphasize that this is just the pre-season and the Celtics will understand it by the time the regular season ends. But it was a much better defensive team at the show last year and they never dropped more than 102 points. Perhaps they stop a little, knowing that the rigor of a schedule of 82 matches is imminent, but it is too easy for the opponents to access the basket. The two teams they saw seemed far too comfortable in attack, including the Cavaliers no less LeBron James on Tuesday.
At least the Celtics have time to understand. After visiting the Cavaliers for their pre-season final Saturday night, they will have nine days to open the season against the Philadelphia 76ers. This week-plus will give Stevens ample opportunity to visit his basketball lab to find the magic elixir of these defensive problems and give his players a considerable amount of training time to stay on the ground.
"We can adjust things and focus on the points that Brad and the coaching staff insisted on," said defensive bulldog Marcus Smart. "We are not worried. We are obviously disappointed, but at the same time, that's why we are preparing the pre-season, to keep up with chemistry with the guys and start doing what we do. "
It's likely that when the Celtics hit the ground on October 16 against the 76ers, they'll be a much better – and much more focused – defensive team than we saw in the pre-season. If this is not the case, you'd better believe that dad Stevens will reprimand their father.
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