After the Celtics lost their third straight in Detroit on Sunday night, Doc Rivers blasted his team's inconsistency and said that if they don't play better, changes are coming, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston. This recent slide comes on the heels of a six game win streak, but Rivers said on Sunday that he felt the Celtics played poorly in at least two of those six wins.
"I've got to either find the right combination, the right guys, or we’re going to get some guys out of here. It’s the bottom line. Because this group right now, they are not playing right. It’s in them to play right. But right now they haven't been — either because I’m not getting to them, or they are not getting to each other. But at the end of the day, either we've got to do that, or we've got to make changes," Rivers said.
As Forsberg points out in his game story, Rivers eased off his comments a bit towards the end of the press conference, saying he wasn't sure if the team needed changes. But the writing is definitely on the wall for the Celtics, who at 20-20, are capable of looking like a title contender or a lottery team depending on which version of the team shows up. Other than their core four, Boston's roster entered the season with a lot of new faces. Danny Ainge retooled their supporting cast and received high marks from pundits around the league. But nearly halfway through the season, it is clear that the team has yet to mesh.
Whether or not the Rivers and the Celtics can make it work – and finish strong as they did last year – should be one of the league's most interesting storylines heading towards the trade deadline.
21-19 last year after 40 games… Just remember where they ended up. They just need Avery Bradley healthy. This 3 game losing streak is with him out of the lineup. With him 6-1 this year.