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The Boston Celtics have been one of the NBA's top teams throughout this season, looking to be out for revenge after a disappointing loss in June's NBA Finals.
Boston opened up the year on a historic pace, sitting at 21-5 after an eye-opening 125-98 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Dec. 7. Since then, things have started to shift in another direction.
The Celtics (22-10) have lost five of their last six games since beating Phoenix. Most shockingly, the team has lost three consecutive home games, including two to the Orlando Magic. On Wednesday night, the Celtics looked to get back on track as they welcomed the Indiana Pacers.
Indiana took control early, leading 42-22 going into the second quarter. Despite a second-half charge from the Celtics, Boston came up short again as Indiana won 117-112. ESPN analyst and former NBA veteran Kendrick Perkins spoke about why the Boston Celtics have struggled:
"Selfish basketball, no sense of urgency. They started off the season, and they looked like a team. They looked like the best team in basketball."
Celtics fans booed the team during its disappointing performance in the first half. Perkins said that Boston has been caring only about individual performance recently.
“Fans booed them because they don’t see sense of urgency, especially on the defensive end," Perkins said.
Boston Celtics looking to get out of recent slump
Life in the NBA can change at the snap of a finger. That's just what the Boston Celtics are finding out during their recent skid.
After finding itself at the top of the Eastern Conference standings, Boston has fallen to second place behind the Milwaukee Bucks (22-9). Contending teams often have to battle through adversity, and it looks as if that's what is happening for Boston currently.
The Celtics will look to get back on track this Friday as the team takes on the Minnesota Timberwolves (16-16). After that, they will welcome the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. The Christmas showdown has the potential to be a preview of the Eastern Conference finals.
Jayson Tatum has been an offensive force throughout the year for the Celtics. During a six-game stretch that saw the Celtics go 5-1, Tatum was sensational. He averaged 30.5 points and 9.0 rebounds while shooting 40.4% from 3-point range.
During the Celtics' recent skid, Tatum has still produced but not as efficiently. In his last five games, Tatum is averaging 30.8 ppg and 7.8 rpg but is shooting just 32.6% from 3-point range.
