Raptors make Celtics blush in crisis

something happens with celticsthe current champion is caught up in an alarming anomaly that can lead to an alarming defeat like last night’s. Fully healthy and facing some promising conditions but still green toronto raptors Until the duel with Boston, they had not reached double-digit wins, a team of Joe Mazzula He saw how the Canadian team tied him (110 to 97). Although there were casualties afterwards, darko rayakovicthe same Raptors that the Celtics crushed 125-71 on Dec. 31. A player who had lost 16 of 17 matches before this week, but who responded to a knockdown within three days. warriors and Celtics.

barely Kristaps PorzingisPeyton Pritchard, who had 18 points and 7-of-11 shooting from the field, and 20 points off the bench, were the only recognizable players in Boston. jayson tatum He had a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds, although he shot an abysmal 5-of-15. Jaylen Brown 10 points on 4/16 shooting. RJ Barrett He nearly reached a triple-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists, Toronto’s best.

The most noticeable symptom was not participating in the entire last quarter of the competition. derrick white He scored 6 points on 2/9 shooting and achieved a stunning victory. According to Alejandro Gaitan, the Celtics are 7-7 since Dec. 19.

Boston was clearly starved by the Raptors, hurt by a 54-point loss on New Year’s Eve, but Joe Mazzula didn’t want to point out any particular attitude issues and praised Toronto’s approach.

“It’s all about the details. Cutting is one of the best things they do and it tests you. We tried to get into the zone and slow them down a little bit, but they didn’t run the ball. I think they did a great job of cutting when they didn’t have it, so they didn’t have to change too much and they were able to do it at a high level,” Mazzulla said, adding that the team’s overall basketball and consistency. No performance was praised. movement without the ball It’s typical of the Serbian style that Rajkovic is trying to bring to the rebuilding Raptors.

The Celtics suffer in some way from the overanalysis that every championship team is subjected to. As a counterpoint, and as Mazzula commented to MD before the start of the season, the goal of the Massachusetts team is to read situations faster, with a style of play in which the coach encourages players to understand and interpret the situation themselves. is to execute. similar idea to pep guardiola Matsura learns from it.

The Boston coach spoke with the MD last night about whether he is looking to bring anything new to the board this season, beyond speed of understanding and execution.

“We have to find a way to enjoy the challenge.”

Joe Mazzulaboston celtics coach

“Not much. I mean, obviously we’re trying to find different ways to make it more effective. But that’s not the case,” Joe Mazzula responded.

The coach who led the Celtics to victory 18th ring He revealed the message he gave to his players after such a crushing defeat.

“Just stay together. Obviously, we’re not playing the best basketball. You can’t always expect things to go easy. You can’t always expect things to go your way. We have to find a way to enjoy this challenge and make sure we do it together,” Mazzula said. He’s taking this worst moment philosophically, just as his friend Pep does with the coronavirus crisis. Manchester City.

There were long faces in Boston, but euphoria filled the Raptors’ locker room when Radjakovic took his passionate Serbian character out for a walk without a filter. Facing the crushing defeat and lack of wins that any rebuilding team would experience, the Canadian team hit rock bottom on January 6 when they lost to the Bucks, who won by 30 points (104-128). After that game, and like any good coach, scotty burns and RJ Barrett They blamed the team as a whole for their lack of effort.

After this intrigue, the Raptors added three more losses, but until this week they had only lost against the Cavaliers (132-126), winning a few games to jazz it up in front of their fans. warriors It’s in decline, but it’s still there steph curry The rapidly growing Celtics and the reigning champions. Jakob Poeltl supported Barrett with a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds and was a perfect 8-of-8 from the field, while Burns scored 18 points. It was Team Canada’s 10th win on this course, moving them to second from bottom in the East with 10 wins and 31 losses.

In Toronto, they are patiently working on rebuilding, but losing so much is up to the standards of a city and franchise that still has a 2019 ring in mind, and many are actively Participating in a variety of ways. marc gasol, serge ibaka and Sergio Scariolo. Much more recently, it’s been the Celtics, who at this rate will become another victim of the curse that the Raptors just started: a curse that prevents a champion from retaining the title the following year. Something is wrong in Boston.