Brad’s view not so bad
Stevens sees good in defeat
Brad Stevens swears the Celtics are looking better on video than they are in the standings these days.
At 9-8, everyone’s preseason pick to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals has lost six of its last nine games and is just a Thanksgiving Eve stumble from .500.
CELTICS NOTEBOOK
But the coach can see the light. Really.
“I just think there’s little things that we can clean up,” Stevens said after further review of Monday’s 117-112 loss in Charlotte. “As I thought when I watched it again last night, it was a step in the right direction, which is encouraging, but obviously still not where we want to be.”
The Celts outscored the Hornets, 22-6, on fast breaks and shot 50.6 percent from the floor. But Kemba Walker essentially rendered that moot by scoring 21 of his 43 points in the fourth quarter to erase a 10-point C’s lead.
“I thought we were good in transition, bigs getting down the floor,” said Stevens, checking off his reasons for encouragement. “They got some easy baskets that way. We played together. You know, we had 31 assists. And we still haven’t had a game where we’ve just made shots, made shots, you know?
“The good news is, in my belief, those times are coming at some point, right, because we’re due. And then I think the other thing is we did some really good things defensively at times, and there were just little things we can clean up to be significantly better at others. So it’s not a matter of want-to as much as it is just a matter of simple execution and honing habits.
“I was way more encouraged by that game. In fact, I thought we probably played better that game than in the Toronto game,” he added, referencing the Celts’ signature win last Friday.
Al Horford said he appreciated the two video sessions the Celts held yesterday to sandwich some on-court work.
“I believe there’s a lot of high expectations, all positive things, and we’ve underperformed and right now we have to work through it together,” he said. “There’s a different challenge that we’re facing as a group. And no one is going to feel sorry for you. Guys know that we have to continue to keep working hard, doing the things that we do, and I think eventually we’ll break through it.”
Internet buzz
Terry Rozier caused a fuss when he took to Twitter at 6:41 a.m. yesterday and wrote, “Let’s do us ALL a favor”
After getting a load of reaction from many who believed he was expressing negative thoughts about his situation with the Celts, he tweeted a little more than an hour later, “I forgot y’all get happy feet.. I wasn’t talking about me chill with the bad talk”
Rozier smiled yesterday when the expected questions came from reporters.
“Not y’all,” he said. “I wasn’t talking about y’all. I’ve got a life outside of basketball. “Y’all know I got love for y’all. I’ve got love for the fans. But it wasn’t nothing on that. We’re going to look to come out and play better tomorrow and make sure everybody’s happy.”
Considering the attention on the Celtics, Rozier admitted he should have known the cryptic tweet would draw responses.
“Coming to a place like this, this type of organization with the die-hard fans, that’s what it is,” he said. “That’s what you’ve got to accept. But at the end of the day we know the fans are going to ride for us. They’ve got our backs. And you’ve got some people that think they’re GMs, but that’s fine. It’s hit or miss with it, but I’m happy to be here.”
Turning to the important issue at hand, Rozier joined the chorus of those around the Celts confident they’ll get it together.
“To be honest, I think it’s more the people around us that are more frustrated than us,” he said. “I don’t think it’s us. I don’t want to put it on nobody. I don’t want to put it on you guys. I don’t want to put it on the fans, but it’s too many know-it-alls nowadays and I think they’re more frustrated than us.”
Rozier even believes the early season troubles may be proper comeuppance for the C’s.
“Yeah, it kind of smacked us in the face,” he said. “I feel like it’s good for us to get that right now, for us to hear all the stuff we’ve been hearing in the summer, everybody turn on their TVs, all they’re talking about is the Celtics. We know we’re going to get everybody’s best shot, but it’s good to go against them struggles now versus later on in the season when we really need each other and we’re really playing well going into the playoffs and stuff like that.
“So we take our bumps now, we take our hits now, and we figure it out, and then by the time we hopefully go on a 16-game winning streak later on in the season around my birthday,” he added with a smile.
By the way, Rozier’s birthday is March 17, same as Danny Ainge’s.
Al’s off center
Horford said before the season he was fine with playing more at center, even though he’d previously expressed a desire to be more of a power forward. But he seems pretty happy with Monday’s lineup shift that had Aron Baynes opening at center with Horford at the 4 spot.
“We’ll see how coach wants to do things,” Horford said. “I think Aron gives us so much defensively it just helps all of us. I thought it was positive, but we’ll see how coach decides to go. For me, it’s easy. I can play 4 or 5. I’m willing to do whatever I need to do.”