Porzingis’ critique of Celtics after ugly loss to Raptors is spot-on originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Why are the reigning champion Boston Celtics 7-7 in their last games? You can point to plenty of stats, from a dip in 3-point percentage to the alarming net rating of the starting five.
But after arguably their worst loss of the season Wednesday night — a 110-97 defeat to the 9-31 Toronto Raptors — Kristaps Porzingis pointed to something stats can’t measure.
“I think we played with no spirit, with no personality,” Porzingis told reporters. “It’s just a weak performance from us, honestly. We just play with no personality right now.”
The Celtics struggled offensively, shooting just 39.6 percent from the floor (their third-worst mark of the season) and missing half of their free throws (9 for 18). But bad shooting nights happen. More concerning was the team’s body language, as the joy and energy that Boston plays with at its best was nowhere to be found in Toronto.
“We’re just going up and down,” Porzingis added. “It’s weird to say. Like, we have high-character people here, but it’s just — things are not going our way. We’re a step slow here, there. There’s just no spirit, no personality.”
Porzingis is usually the happiest player on the court, and his positive energy can be contagious. The Celtics went 43-14 in the games he played last season while averaging 120.1 points per game. This season has been a different story, as Boston is just 9-8 in games with Porzingis since he returned from offseason surgery in late November.
While Porzingis didn’t pinpoint a specific cause for Boston’s struggles, he believes a turnaround will start with players taking accountability and focusing on not only their execution, but their mindset.
“I don’t know, honestly,” Porzingis said. “I think we just individually have to look at ourselves like where we can improve, what we need to do better, are we fit? Are we this? Are we feeling good? Are we locked in mentally? And then try to fix some of the stuff that we have going on.
“But it’s not the end of the world. Every team has ups and downs. Just, tonight, it feels like s— right now, and we played some bad basketball.”
The Celtics still are the most talented team in the NBA. Their entire top nine is intact from the group that steamrolled through the league last season en route to Banner 18. The law of averages suggests their recent shooting woes should improve eventually.
But as Porzingis pointed out, the easiest way for the C’s to start reversing their fortunes is to play with more “spirit” and rediscover the positive vibes that played a key role in last season’s success.
“We know we’ll get past this,” Porzingis said. “I know it, we know it, but we have to start, we have to start playing better and we just can’t keep cruising and expect just turn it up towards the end, so it’s in our hands.”
The Celtics are back in action Friday night at TD Garden against the Orlando Magic, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston.
