The Boston Celtics couldn't get stops in Sunday's 123-114 loss to the Indiana Pacers, and that has become a troubling trend for the reigning NBA champions.
They've lost four of their last six games largely due to their defensive woes. It looked like they got back on track in Friday's blowout win over Indiana, but the Pacers shot 52.9 percent from the floor with a whopping 66 points in the paint during Sunday's rematch.
Just how concerning are Boston's recent defensive struggles? Former C's guard Eddie House didn't hold back while sharing his take on Celtics Postgame Live.
"I think we've taken a step back," House said. "And I can say this: Defensively, I feel like we aren't engaged the way that we need to be engaged to win a championship. It has to start happening right now. I'm talking about on an every-game basis. That's the one thing that travels. The shot doesn't travel, but your defense does travel. We can't have these lapses.
"Do I still believe that we are a championship team? Yes. But do I think that we're giving championship effort on the defensive end? I don't believe that."
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The Celtics had the second-best defensive rating in the NBA (110.6) during their 2023-24 championship campaign. Through 32 games this season, they rank eighth in the league with a 110.1 defensive rating.
C's coach Joe Mazzulla addressed the defensive struggles after Sunday's loss.
"When you're not playing well defensively, that's on everybody," he said. "That's on the staff, it's on the coaches, it's on the players. Just got to continue to work at it."
A bounce-back game on Tuesday vs. the lowly Toronto Raptors will be crucial, because the Celtics' schedule gets grueling over the next week. After hosting Toronto, they'll head to Minnesota and begin a four-game road trip out west that includes matchups with the Timberwolves, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets.
"I'm actually really excited about it," Mazzulla said of the upcoming road trip. "It's gonna be fun. It's gonna be great."
Tip-off for the Celtics-Raptors New Year's Eve showdown is set for 3 p.m. ET.
