Celtics fans could feel what was happening.
On the surface, giving up an 11-3 run to start the fourth quarter that started tied isn’t the worst thing in the world. Being down eight with nine minutes to go in a game is nothing.
But how the Celtics gave it up made it pretty obvious that we should have heard the sound of a toilet flushing instead of a whistle as Joe Mazzulla called timeout.
Instead, they heard boos.
"Honestly, I like it. It's kind of deserved,” Kristaps Porzingis said. “They expect high level from us, high level based off our talent and what we've shown in the past. And when we don't -- not only that, not only just the talent and just making shots -- I think when we're not giving our all, I think that's the most deserved boos.”
The play that drew those boos was a mess from the beginning. Jaylen Brown was barking out orders for guys to match up but he lost his own matchup in the process. Malik Monk got free for the most wide open of 3-pointers, and four of the five Celtics on the floor turned and looked at the shot, casually strolling as the ball went up (Derrick White actually boxed out on the play). Of course the ball bounced straight to Domantas Sabonis behind the 3-point line for not only his 24th rebound, but also for his own wide-open shot, which fell.
The Celtics were toast at that point. They had chances along the way if a couple of shots would have fallen, but almost all of them missed.
“I think our offense put pressure on our defense,” Mazzulla said. “They got 16 offensive rebounds to our eight, and they were able to take advantage of that. So we didn't have a great offensive half, and didn't do a great job finishing possessions with a rebound, and Sacramento took advantage of it.”
Sacramento, even without De’Aaron Fox in this game, is on a little bit of a roll. While still maddening, Mike Brown's dismissal has paid off in a new coach bump for Doug Christie and the Kings. The team is working hard, playing some defense, and playing with a little more freedom. And as usual nowadays, a team like Sacramento sees a game against the champs as a measuring stick.
The Celtics don’t seem to care much about that. They are playing at their own pace, which is fine in the grand scheme of things. This loss has no bearing on Boston’s ability to win a playoff series against Eastern Conference opponents.
At the same time, they're playing in front of 19,156 people every night who would like to see the team win. At the very least, they’d like to see the team try to win. And they get pretty surly when the Celtics don’t at least give a minimum amount of effort.
“Tonight you seen we had some collapses,” Brown said. “Part of that is first game back from a long road trip but to be honest there’s really no excuse. So we’re going to look at it and we’re going to figure it out. It’s a long journey. I believe in this team. We’ve got a great group of guys so we’re going to figure this out.”
And I trust them to do that. But it’s hard to ignore a huge difference between this year’s team and last year’s. The 2024 version of this group didn’t often play down to the competition or give in to the fatigue of a game like this or the second half in Oklahoma City. Every time the Celtics were offered an excuse last season, they politely declined. This season, they're like me around the holidays, gladly accepting the excuses, giving in to the temptation of bad habits, and suffering the unsightly results.
But why?
“It's a good question. I don't know,” Mazzulla said. “I don't have an answer as far as that stuff, but tonight, they just played better than we did, and they are a revived team that just played better than us.”
Maybe Brown can explain the difference between this year and last.
"It's a different year,” he shot back at the question being asked. Yes, it’s a different year, but why isn’t this team fighting through these moments like last season?
"We're fighting. We're definitely making -- playing some good basketball. We're just figuring it out,” he said. “I guess that would be your opinion to say that we're not fighting. I think that opinion would be not valid. But it's a different year. Last year is over. We gotta figure it out this year and we gotta do whatever it takes. We got a new unit. We've had guys out. We've had guys injured. So we just gotta treat it as such. It's a new year. Last year is over with."
Yes, they are figuring it out, but both points have validity because there is clearly some truth to it. Brown said it himself referencing the return from the road trip. The Celtics know how to win a championship, but they don’t know how to navigate the regular season as champions. This part is new to them, and it’s coming with some tough lessons.
They do know what it takes to win a title, but they don’t know what it takes to do it with a fresh banner overhead. They don’t know how to do it when everyone is gunning for them and treating every matchup like it’s the Finals. They don’t know how to do it when they see regular season games as something they have to do before they get to the part they want to do.
It’s all a natural part of the process that simultaneously means nothing yet somehow feels like it means everything. Maybe losing a few rounds is the best way for this team to defend its championship. As Mike Tyson said, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth, and the C’s have been getting peppered over the last few weeks.
They're still the champs, and they're still the favorites, but the cut man has some work to do this time.
“For sure it’s more difficult this season, probably,” Porzingis said “We’ve just got to find a way to keep chipping away. Right now, we don’t need to peak right now …
“I’m confident we’ll bounce back. We’re just having not the prettiest moment right now as a team, and it’s completely normal. I don't mean to be negative. Believe me, we’ll figure it out.”