After starting the year 27-2, the Boston Celtics have dropped 7 out of their last ten games. There is lots of frustration and lots of critics telling them what they are doing wrong. Last year was somewhat easy for the Celtics in that they hadn't really been through any adversity before they won a championship:
“This team hasn’t gone through anything,” Rivers explained. “We really haven’t. It’s been very easy for us, and sometimes you’ve got to go through something to get something. And this team hasn’t.
“Last year we didn’t have this at all, and I was extremely concerned going into the playoffs. Someone asked me my one concern and I said it was because we hadn’t been tested at all. We breezed through the season 66 and whatever (16). Well, we can’t say that this year because we have gone through something. And you find out a lot about your guys when you go through stretches like this - who wants to fight, who folds. So it’s good for everybody. It’s not that you want to go through it. I’d rather do (what we did) last year.”
“So maybe this will teach us something, too.”
“It’s frustrating,” said Paul Pierce [stats]. “This team has never had a four-game losing streak, so it’s definitely frustrating because you know what we’re capable of. You know what we can do. So that’s the only frustrating part about it.
“But we’re not a team that’s going to make excuses. We’ve just got to go out there and get the job done.”
And get it done as a group - not as individuals.
“I think Doc said it the best,” said Kevin Garnett. “Everybody’s trying to do it themselves and trying to find the solution vs. doing it together.”
Says Doc Rivers: Just because you’re playing hard is not an excuse for not playing smart. You know, you have to do both.’
