Celtics Hold Team Meeting After Third Straight Loss to Address Lack of 'Cohesion' and 'Selfish Play'
The Boston Celtics held a team meeting in the locker room at TD Garden after Friday night's 120–107 loss to the Bucks. Star guard Kyrie Irving told reporters that the meeting, which lasted 36 minutes after the final buzzer, was "much needed" after the team suffered it's third straight loss.
"I think everyone can see that we've obviously had some inconsistencies regarding our play," Irving said. "So I think it was just time to address it."
The five-time NBA All-Star added that there was a lack of "cohesion" and "some selfish play" that needed to be addressed within the team.
"At this point it comes down to cohesion, being able to trust the pass, trust what we have going on out there," Irving said. "There's obviously some selfish play going on out there."
Irving also referenced the abundance of isolations and fadeaways in the Celtics offense.
"I get caught up in that as well," he told reporters. "For me it's a hard challenge, because there's a balance I have. I literally can do anything I want out there, but at the same time it's what can I do for my teammates to be more successful. I have to be very conscious of that."
Irving would not reveal details from the team's talk but reflected on his role as a leader on this season's young Celtics' team. The 26-year-old guard is averaging 22.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game.
"That all goes on the back burner to being patient with what I have to do to grow as a leader of this team and help these other young guys to be more prepared for what they'll encounter as they get older in this league and are going through right now. That's part of the deal that I have, as opposed to how many shots I get or how successful I am. It's how successful we are as a team. I want to make sure these guys are comfortable out there, and it's more their success as much as mine. That's an important thing–being consistent with that and patient with them."
20-year-old small forward Jayson Tatum added that while the Celtics might not be as bad as they were during their 10–10 start, they still want to be better.
“I don’t know if we’re there again,” Tatum said. “But we’re definitely not where we want to be.”
The Celtics are 18–13 on the season so far. Friday's loss to Boston followed losses to the Suns and at Detroit. Irving's Celtics return to action when they host the Hornets on Sunday, Dec. 23.
