lmcdaid16 Al Horford, CELTICS, Ime Udoka, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Joe Mazzula, Luke Kornet, Marcus Smart, NBA, NBA Basketball, NBA News
The Celtics suffer defensive woes that halts a strong start to the season. Boston struggles giving up 120 points in back to back games as well as 132 points in an overtime loss to the Cavaliers. A team that made a finals run the previous season rooted in defensive effort comes up flat to start this season. A lack of star Center Robert Williams for the few months is no doubt a factor, but this is no time for excuses. Reigning Defensive PLayer of the Year Marcus Smart has acknowledged these defensive woes. The Celtics have no problems scoring points with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown leading a dominant offense but the defense halts a start that should be dynamic.
The Eastern Conference has a whole new look with new teams looking to contend. Boston needs to figure out their defensive woes under new head coach Joe Mazzulla. Mazzulla has been with the organization since 2019. He knows what led to success last year and for them to come out to such a slow start is nothing less than concerning. Teams like Cleveland and Philadelphia have bolstered their teams this off-season looking to take the defending Eastern Conference champs down a peg.
The Rafters are back with weekly episodes discussing all things Boston Celtics. Join Justin and Liam as they sit across the virtual table and follow the journey on Twitter @TheRaftersPod and @TheCelticsFiles. Give a like, rate, or subscription if you enjoyed the episode and want to see more like this one!
