The Boston Celtics were favored by as many as 9.5 points ahead of their Game 1 matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Not only did they fail to cover the spread, but they couldn’t even get the win at home.
When asked about the loss, Celtics star Jayson Tatum claimed their defense is letting their rivals get too comfortable at times, which obviously is counter-productive.
“I think we just allow guys to get a little bit too comfortable at times”
Jayson Tatum breaks down the lack of defensive intensity so far, these playoffs pic.twitter.com/PDa2NMeIFW
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) May 2, 2023
The Celtics have put together one of the best defenses in the NBA for two years straight, so this shouldn’t happen at this point in the season.
But as solid as they’ve been, effort and focus have also been lacking at times, and you better believe top-notch rivals like the Sixers are going to make them pay.
James Harden hasn’t been the same explosive and dominant scorer he used to be over the past three years.
But he’s going to take over if given enough time and space to operate, especially if he has to take more shots to make up for Joel Embiid’s absence.
The Celtics have been too relaxed at times lately, and that nearly cost them three games versus the Atlanta Hawks in the previous series.
They no longer control their destiny after losing home-court advantage, and Embiid might be back for either Game 2 or Game 3 after nursing that LCL injury.
Of course, they have more than enough resources to come back from this deficit and even take the next four games in a row, but it’ll all start with more defensive discipline and effort.
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