NBA
League sources believe that some of Boston’s best players ‘just lost focus’ after the All-Star game
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated01 Jun 2023
The 2023 postseason ended in poor fashion for the Boston Celtics. After clawing their way back down 3-0 to force a Game 7, Boston laid an egg. They lost 103-84 to the Heat on their home court in Game 7. Since then, reports have surfaced on the team. League sources believe that some of Boston’s best players ‘just lost focus’ after the All-Star game.
If this report is true, it’s not a great look for the Boston Celtics. Their best players should have no problem staying focused after the all-star game in February. Boston has all intentions of making it back to the NBA Finals this season, but maybe the report makes sense.
The Celtics did have their fair share of struggles this postseason, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed. This offseason, the Celtics are likely going to be giving massive contract extensions to both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
The midseason departure of Celtics’ coach Damon Stoudamire played a part in Boston’s roller-coaster season.
Multiple team sources, both on the roster and the staff, said it left a significant void in the team’s leadership structure.
More: https://t.co/zn1I6ElSlm pic.twitter.com/n7mCd34xj6
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 1, 2023
What does the future hold for the Boston Celtics?
Before the start of the 2022-23 season, the Celtics had to suspend and fire former head coach Ime Udoka. At the time, Boston named Joe Mazzulla the interim head coach, and the leadership of the team was in question. Mazzulla had been an assistant with the Celtics since 2019 but had never been a head coach in the NBA.
His lack of experience was evident in the 2023 postseason. The 34-year-old head coach looked lost at times and might not have been ready for the moment. However, the same can be said for some of Boston’s best players according to reports.
When the report from The Atletic states that it was some of Boston’s best players, only a few names come to mind. They were almost certainly referring to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Both had their struggles during the 2023 postseason, especially Brown in the Conference Finals. He averaged 16 percent from deep in those seven games.
Additionally, Tatum struggled from deep this postseason as well. There were times in their second-round series vs the Sixers on how Tatum was playing. He had three points heading into the third quarter of Game 6. His 16 fourth-quarter points elevated the team to a win and fired a Game 7 that they won. Tatum and Brown are undoubtedly Boston’s stars, but do they have what it takes to lead the team to a championship?
