BOSTON — When Jaylen Brown signed his supermax contract in the summer of 2023, he expressed his desire for the Celtics to return to their defensive roots. The comments set the tone for a 2024 title as Boston’s elite defense was a constant for a team on a mission for redemption after a heartbreaking finish in 2023.
Brad Stevens did his best to bring back the same cast of characters this season, but recreating the defense the Celtics played over 100 games has been a work in progress. Joe Mazzulla called the group inconsistent last week after the team’s first losing streak of the year and that inconsistency returned Sunday night in a 123-114 home loss to the Pacers. It was statistically the second-worst defensive outing of the year for Boston, which was down a pair of starters in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. However, the Celtics looked outmatched all night against the Pacers scoring firepower all night, leaning towards painting the visitors’ dominance and easy looks.
With four losses in Boston’s last six games and a defense that ranks 15th in the league over that stretch, Brown is asking his teammates and coaches for a change.
“We need to re-emphasize the defensive side of the ball,” Brown said. “In the last games, our intensity has dropped. Teams are pressuring us and being physical with us. We have to do the same to them again. We did some good things at some points, but it’s not enough.”
Brown hinted that some of the issues may be related to a different level of urgency this year without the thirst for a title being as strong as a title result.
“We’ve had some great moments this season and maybe there’s been a little bit of comfort,” Brown said. “Offensively, we’re good. I just think defensively we’ve got to find ways to get more stops and be more consistent protecting the basket, helping out, communicating. We haven’t emphasized that enough.
“Defense is something you have to work on. We haven’t had the intensity and effort we need. That’s pretty much it.”
The Celtics will need to find that defensive intensity quickly in the Eastern Conference standings. The Knicks sit within a game of Boston on a seven-game winning streak and the toughest month of Boston’s season looms in January, starting with a four-game road trip on Thursday. The margin for error has disappeared for Boston in the standings after a dominant start, and the team will need to rediscover its identity to keep pace in the East.
“Winning in the NBA is tough,” Jayson Tatum said. “We have to understand that. We know that. We’re all confident in our abilities and who we can be as a team. We just have to do it. It hasn’t been the best stretch for us. That’s OK. Nobody scare or anything like that. We just have to be better.”
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