The Boston Celtics have hit a rough patch lately, losing three of their last four games, including a double-overtime loss to the New York Knicks on March 5.
When speaking to the media following their most recent game, veteran guard Derrick White sent a message to his teammates, noting how the team needs to rediscover the form that saw them dominate the league in the early part of the season – stating that they need to ‘get their swagger back.’
“We just gotta get our swagger back. Find a way to play with each other, have fun out there. I’m sure we’ll get it back soon,” White said.
Boston now finds themselves sitting second in the Eastern Conference, 1.5 games behind the Milwaukee Bucks, after losing ground since returning from the All-Star break. Celtics fans will be hoping that Joe Mazzulla and his coaching staff can quickly halt this current slide and help the team rediscover their rhythm as they look to build momentum heading into the postseason.
Jayson Tatum Wants Boston to ‘Get Their Groove’ Back
During his own post-game press conference, Jayson Tatum echoed White’s sentiment of rediscovering their ‘swagger’ in order to begin winning games again and building upon the foundations which the team built earlier in the season.
“We gotta get our groove back, I’m confident that we will.”
Jayson Tatum on Celtics’ recent struggles
“Those guys are right, we’ve gotta get our groove back, which I’m confident that we will. And get back to being ourselves and playing with that swagger on both ends of the floor for 48 minutes,” Tatum said.
Against the Knicks on March 5, Tatum was one of Boston’s best performers, ending the contest with 40 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists on 40% shooting from the field and 35.3% shooting from deep.
Unfortunately, Boston was unable to capitalize on Tatum’s stellar showing and now finds themselves at risk of slumping into a losing streak at a pivotal juncture of the season, where teams are usually ramping up their performance level, rather than struggling to figure things out.
Luke Kornet’s Gesture Goes Unnoticed
According to CLNS Media’s Bobby Manning, the Celtics locker room was full of frustration following their March 3 loss to the Brooklyn Nets, leading most of the roster to overlook a kind gesture from reserve big man Luke Kornet.
“Made a bunch of deserts, some sort of Lemon pastry. Untouched. Untouched in the locker room, only Mike Muscala tried one after the game. Luke (Kornet) made them. Put them on the locker room table. Untouched. That’s the mood in the locker room,” Manning said.
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Derrick White Sends Strong Message to Celtics Teammates: ‘Get Our Swagger Back’