Thursday night was a tough one for the Boston Celtics.
Not only did they lose 120-117 to the New York Knicks, but they did so in overtime.
Plus, this marked their third consecutive loss for the top-seeded Celtics, who have a record of 35-15.
Although they are still a few games ahead of the second-place Philadelphia 76ers, these losses hurt a lot.
Jayson Tatum after Celtics loss to Knicks:
"We lost tonight, three in a row. We gotta get back on track, get a win. But all things considered, it’s a balance… When you win nine straight, don’t get too excited. When you lose three in a row, don’t get too down on yourself."
— Jack Simone (@JackSimoneNBA) January 27, 2023
Following the game, star player Jayson Tatum gave his thoughts on the close defeat:
“We lost tonight, three in a row. We gotta get back on track, get a win. But all things considered, it’s a balance. When you win nine straight, don’t get too excited. When you lose three in a row, don’t get too down on yourself.”
The last three games have been bad for Boston.
It all started with a surprising defeat at the hands of the Orlando Magic, the only team who has beaten them three times this season.
That underdog squad took down Tatum and his Cs, 113-98.
Following that, they fell to the Miami Heat 98-95 before losing to the Knicks on Thursday.
While Jaylen Brown sat out of the game against the Heat, the roster has stayed pretty consistent lately.
And Tatum has still been performing like the All-Star that he is.
Therefore, the Celtics will need to take a good, hard look at these losses but also not get too hard on themselves, as Tatum implied.
They know they are still the best team in the East and they believe they have what it takes to return to the Finals.
The worst thing the team could do right now is to lose faith.
All the pieces for greatness are still there and their postseason chances for supremacy have never been higher.
They can shake off these losses in the days ahead when they face off against the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets, then Phoenix Suns.
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