Celtics-76ers preview: Mad about this one

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ATLANTA – We have seen the Celtics play some maddeningly inconsistent basketball this season.

But how would they play if they were mad?

We’ll find out tonight when they host the winless Philadelphia 76ers.

By the shear fact that the game is at the TD Garden and Boston (7-7) is riding a two-game losing skid should be enough to bring out the best in this bunch, right?

Not necessarily.

There is no mistaking the mindset going into tonight’s game is about inflicting as much carnal damage upon their opponent as possible.

Nothing personal, Philly.

The Celtics players and coaches will talk about tonight’s game being about just trying to be better and in doing so, get a victory.

But there’s more at stake than that.

Both players and coach Brad Stevens in some very not-so-subtle terms, spoke of the growing cracks in their cohesiveness.

Words like “reconnecting” and players being “on an island” just rolled off the tongue of Brad Stevens with a heavy stench of disappointment.

This is a Celtics team that’s in need of some serious healing right now, and tonight’s game would be a great step towards making that happen.

The reasons for why the Celtics have suddenly lost that unifying edge are unclear.

One theory is that the success they had earlier this season such as road wins at Oklahoma City and Houston, may have given this team too much confidence in themselves that they get down and eventually they’ll get back in the game or their opponent will.

“We have to play like we did (at the end of) last year,” Jared Sullinger told CSNNE.com. “We need to play like we did at the beginning of the season.”

When asked about whether the team may have gotten a little too content with their play following some early season success, Sullinger said, “that happens when you’re a young team. We got the type of attitude where teams are just going to let us win. So we have to change it, we have to change it.”

And they’ll do so tonight, disappointed in their play of late but maybe more significant to tonight’s game, angry about it.

At least their coach is.

Players acknowledged how upset their usually mild-mannered coach was on Tuesday night.

But as angry as Stevens was, the outcome of tonight’s game will once again hinge on the ability of the Celtics to execute the game plan, be on a string at both ends of the floor, and play well collectively and not just rely on one or two really good performances by individuals.

“It’s up to the players,” Bradley said. “Brad can say a lot of things, but at the end of the day it’s up to us to go out there and perform and play the right way.”

 

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