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After losing to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals, many wondered how the Boston Celtics would respond to such a devastating defeat. It didn’t get any easier for them when Danilo Gallinari tore his ACL, Robert Williams III had arthroscopic knee surgery, and Head Coach Ime Udoka was suspended all before the season started.
Three games into the season, the Celtics are 3-0, defeating two of the Eastern Conference’s playoff teams, the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat, as well as the young and talented Orlando Magic. Their 3-0 start is the first they’ve had since 2010.
After defeating the Magic on October 22, former Celtics center Kendrick Perkins praised the Celtics for their approach to start the season.
“The Celtics understand the ASSIGNMENT! They got it on their mind… and I know it’s early, but they are approaching this season like they have unfinished business. Love to see it! Carry the hell on…”
Three games into last season, the Celtics started 1-2 and didn’t notch their first win until their third game of the season. It’s fair to say that they’ve started off this season much better.
Tatum Wants Celtics to Perform Better
Despite winning their first three games of the new season, which is a step up from last season, Celtics star Jayson Tatum is not satisfied with the overall result.
After the Celtics defeated the Magic on a back-to-back, Tatum spoke with Abby Chin of NBC Sports Boston, where he voiced his belief that the team should be playing better.
“They played with confidence, they made shots, but we’ve got to be better,” Tatum said. “120 points (tonight) and 100-plus points in the first game, that’s just not who we are. I mean, it’s a back-to-back, and it’s early, but if we’re trying to get back to where we want to be, we’ve got to play way better than this. It shouldn’t take the back and forth for us to play the right way on both ends. So, we’ve got to start better, and play together way better than we did this game.”
Being without Robert Williams III and Al Horford, who was out due to lower back tightness, the Celtics came into the game with a depleted frontcourt. Clearly, Tatum did not think that was a valid excuse for narrowly beating the Magic.
Grant Williams Also Called Out Defense
In his postgame presser, Grant Williams believed the defense, more specifically in the frontcourt, did not play up to standards.
“We just had to be more physical. We didn’t do our job tonight from the start,” Williams said. “We allowed them to get comfortable. When teams are comfortable, they make shots, but especially when I’m at the center position. Even then, I have to do a better job of making sure that not only to keep the ball in front but also just make sure we rebound, make sure that we’re physical both on the ball defending it and off.”
Williams added that the biggest challenge for them is consistently approaching every game with the same mindset no matter who they face.
“That’s probably the biggest challenge for us,” Williams said. “Coming in every night with the same focus and intensity and make sure we’re mature enough to understand that every team is capable of beating you every single night and not taking anyone lightly.”
