Jayson Tatum, Joe Mazzulla embracing Celtics’ tough stretch

“Down the street, we may be pleased about this stretch.”

Jayson Tatum is aware of the Celtics are enjoying poorly, however hopes later within the yr they will look again on this stretch and really feel grateful for it. (Barry Chin/Globe Employees)

The Celtics are in the midst of a funk. Unhealthy capturing is a number one contributor, however Boston shouldn’t be enjoying successful basketball, and is 2-3 in its final 5 video games with a pair of ugly losses, to the Raptors on Wednesday and Hawks on Saturday.

Boston is aware of it could play higher. Each head coach Joe Mazzulla and Celtics star Jayson Tatum each made that clear following Saturday’s time beyond regulation loss. Nonetheless, the pair additionally expressed a constructive outlook on the tough stretch.

“You’ve acquired to take the nice with the dangerous, and perceive that down the street, we may be pleased about this stretch,” Tatum mentioned postgame. “If we proceed to stay collectively, if we proceed to be a close-knit group. If we determine it out collectively, come out on the opposite facet of this, we’ll really feel lots higher about ourselves.”

Jayson Tatum on how he’s navigating this stretch:

“You’ve gotta take the nice with the dangerous. Perceive that down the street, we may be pleased about this stretch… If we determine it out collectively, we come out on different facet of this, we’ll really feel lots higher about ourselves.” pic.twitter.com/AAop5P2Xx6

— Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin) January 19, 2025

Lots went fallacious for Boston towards Atlanta, notably within the ultimate 30 seconds of regulation. Nonetheless, on the coronary heart of the problems, the Celtics stars had one other ice-cold capturing night time.

Tatum appeared to have the worst of it down the stretch; he was 1 for 7 from the sphere within the fourth quarter and time beyond regulation. That included simply two factors in time beyond regulation, a missed game-tying shot in time beyond regulation and a missed game-winner in regulation.

Granted, each his buzzer pictures had been difficult, however no less than the time beyond regulation try was made harder by Tatum himself. Tatum completed the sport with 23 factors and was 2 for 9 from three. He, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White mixed for 9 of 34 from past the arc.

“[We’re not making] pictures that we usually shoot at a better fee that may cease the bleeding on this stretch,” Tatum mentioned. “Nonetheless making an attempt to generate the appropriate shot, and get guys in the appropriate spots. We’re simply not capturing the ball in addition to we usually do.”

Mazzulla additionally took the constructive method after the loss, and took it even just a few steps additional than Tatum did.

“I’m really extra excited at this juncture of the season than I used to be at the start,” Mazzulla instructed reporters. “That is a part of it. It’s the enjoyable half … that is what you join.”

Mazzulla then elaborated extensively on precisely why he feels the best way he does and isn’t hitting the panic button internally or with the crew.

“I at all times ask myself in conditions like this … ‘what the [expletive] did you count on? Did you count on that we had been simply going to have one other 64 win season, and we had been simply by no means going to make errors?’,” Mazzulla mentioned. “And so, we simply don’t have time to fret about that. We have to repair it. We now have to repair the small print. And we are going to.

“However what retains me on, and type of what I’m explaining to you is I belief the character and the mindset and the preparation of our crew.

Mazzulla’s tirade served as a reminder that whereas each sport will likely be essential for the Celtics when it comes to wins and classes, no NBA crew is gearing as much as look its greatest in January. Each crew is aiming its peak for the postseason.

So whereas Boston is slumping, in the midst of fairly presumably the worst stretch this particular group has gone by way of, there are not any alarm bells ringing for Mazzulla and the Celtics.

“There’s not a bunch of people who I’d fairly undergo one thing tough along with,” Mazzulla mentioned. “So once more, signal me up. It doesn’t imply I’m completely happy. However that is the thought course of about how we’re going to go about it.”