Samurai lived by a code. Bushido, the way of the warrior, were seven principles that guided Samurai warriors during their rise in feudal Japan.
Among the principles was respect; for an opponent’s abilities, for his life, and for his afterlife. The code was strict. Failure to abide by it brought shame … and worse.
Respecting an opponent is central to any battle, be it one with swords or one with an inflated leather ball. Believing that any opponent you face has the ability to beat you is part of the foundation for learning all forms of fighting. Even if you have an advantage, respecting the opponent’s abilities means swiftly ending the fight decisively. When the fight is won, respect the opponent by honoring them.
The Celtics are good at a lot of things. But this concept of respect isn't one of them.
“We definitely have a respect for the opponent because we were up 28,” Joe Mazzulla said. “So I think we definitely respected them.”
True, but they didn’t have enough to finish the job. If they truly respected the Nets the way they should have, they would have understood a 28-point lead early in the second quarter, while nice, is nowhere near the end of the story. If they respected the game enough, they’d understand that cheating it with the wrong kind of effort would bite them.
“I don’t think most guys realize the potency of runs in the NBA in the first half because of the pace and the 3-point shot,” Mazzulla added. “I think it’s very hard for a player to understand that because of the rate at which people play offense, if you have four empty possessions, those can be costly at the other end.”
If the Celtics had proper respect for themselves, they’d understand that they haven't actually accomplished anything yet. A 28 point second quarter lead against the shell of the Nets isn’t an invitation to celebrate, stat-pad, or showboat. It’s an invitation to go up 30, even 40 if they have to.
If they had respect for themselves, they’d understand that the easiest way to get a Friday night off is to finish the damn job and sit in the fourth quarter. Instead, Jaylen Brown played 43 minutes. Jayson Tatum played 38.
“It definitely has happened more times than we want, obviously,” Derrick White said of another blown lead. “Just everything happened so easy there at the beginning of the game and then they just started playing harder and we didn’t do a good job responding. … we’ve got to find a way to play 48 minutes whether we’re up 28, a back and forth game, whoever plays better in those 48 minutes is gonna win.”
We all fully understand the concept that teams will make runs. It’s going to happen no matter what. Even if Boston was fully focused in this game, the Nets may have made some kind of similar run to cut deep into what was a huge lead.
But the Celtics compounded their problems by then playing a more panicked defense as the Nets crept all the way back. Instead of not trying hard enough and giving Brooklyn open 3-pointers, the Celtics went too far the other way, and too many guys tried to make too many plays, subsequently playing a bit out of control.
“We felt them having more energy so we tried to get more energy right back and it kind of led to us struggling,” White said. “We are just trying to fly around and they were doing a good job. They had 5-out spacing, a lot of great spacing and we were just chasing them the whole second half it felt like.”
Understanding is at the core of respect. It’s an understanding that the guys filling those jerseys on the other side have motivation not to quit; that they have nothing to lose so they will continue to fight the further they fall behind. It’s an understanding that if the guys on one side can score in bunches, the guys on the other can, too.
Maturity is at the core of respect as well. It removes the brashness of blown leads and the ‘ehh, we can just flip the switch back on’ mentality. Maturity and experience should remind guys that they’ve been burned by this before.
These guys? They don’t have this part of the game down yet. They're really good at a lot of other stuff, but they don’t have that full respect for the opponents, the game, or themselves yet. They can overcome that. They might still win a championship without it, but their chances drop dramatically.
I don’t care what they say after games. It’s what we see on the floor that will demonstrate whether they're really ready, or if they're just saying the same stuff they say every time they get caught with their pants down.
Is it easy? No. It’s not. Everyone in the league comes into it with an ego and those things are dangerous the more inflated they get. But the only way they're going to reach the heights we know are possible for them is if they put all that aside and stop playing with their food.
Whatever the reason is -- fatigue, disinterest, business, something else -- it has to stop now or else it’s going to show up again and again, getting uglier and tougher to overcome every single time.
“You have to battle human nature. And if you want to separate yourself, teams don't fall into that trap,” Mazzulla said. “But I'm not gonna overreact to that. It happens. Happens in the NBA, I’ve seen it in other games. We have to be able to learn from it. So I'll be more upset if it happens again, if we're in another situation.”
It will happen again, unless this group decides they're going to treat every opponent, every game, and every teammate with the proper respect.
