Kyrie Irving was not pleased. He had just seen the Celtics snatch defeat from the throes of victory yet again, and his post-mortem showed his surliness. As he answered query after query on why the green and white proved unable to protect a sizable lead anew, he couldn’t help but issue biting remarks. Not even their game plan against the Hornets’ Kemba Walker was spared; after seeing the All-Star torch them for 18 points in the last eight minutes of a match they led by the same number heading into the same time frame, he noted that they “should have trapped him a little bit more like every other team does in the league.”
Irving’s statement seemed like a direct stab at head coach Brad Stevens’ decision making, especially since he pointed out that Walker “torches us every time we play [the Hornets]. It’s no surprise.” Perhaps he was just irked at all and sundry, including himself. After all, he didn’t exactly arrest the bleeding when he checked back into the set-to with a little under six minutes to play and the Celtics still up by 10; he managed just one field goal against four missed three-point attempts, four fouls, and one turnover in the crunch.
Significantly, Irving’s poor body language reflected his dismay throughout the Celtics’ swoon; he looked particularly non-plussed when, with 14.3 seconds left in the contest, sophomore guard Terry Rozier took an ill-advised turnaround three pointer in heavy coverage after already having dribbled into the paint. True, it was an attempt that could have tied the score. On the other hand, it was the type of choice Stevens supposedly eschews: hero ball by an unproven commodity in the face of superior options.
In any case, Stevens was quick to take the blame. “It’s disappointing,” he said. “I think you can look at it and say we all could have done better.” And he’s right; while the Celtics missed rotation regulars Al Horford, Gordon Hayward, and Aaron Baynes, they had more than enough talent to prevail versus the also-undermanned Hornets. And as the prognoses moving forward leans to the negative, it isn’t simply because mental mistakes cost them a win yesterday. It’s because mental mistakes keep on costing them, as if they don’t learn — or, worse, can’t learn — from experience.
From any perspective, there can be no arguing that the Celtics are trending in the wrong direction. Their third straight setback has them down to fifth in East standings, with the difference between starting the playoffs at the TD Garden and on the road possibly determining their capacity to move on in light of their inconsistent performances. It’s not what Irving signed up for, and he’s bummed. And unless and until systemic improvements finally take root, he’ll continue to have mood swings that figure to sway him when free agency comes calling in June.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.
