Isaiah Thomas says Celtics are ‘one of the worst teams’ when they don’t play hard

Boston Celtics' Isaiah Thomas (4) loses control of the ball beside Brooklyn Nets' Wayne Ellington (21) on a foul by Brook Lopez, left, during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016. The Nets won 100-97. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) AP

By Brian Robb @CelticsHub

January 3, 2016

3 minutes to read

The Celtics had a prime opportunity to move up in the crowded Eastern Conference standings this week with a pair of matchups against the lottery-bound Lakers and Nets, who have a combined record of 17-50.

Instead, an ugly 100-97 setback to the Nets on Saturday capped a 0-2 week against two of the NBA’s bottom-feeders at the TD Garden. The losses left a discouraged Brad Stevens and Isaiah Thomas searching for answers after watching their team take yet another frustrating step back during the up-and-down season.

“I need to do more,’’ Stevens said in his postgame press conference. “This is more on me. We’ve had multiple times where we’re just not playing to the standard we need to play to. We’ve had multiple practices where certain guys have really looked good and stood out because others haven’t. And that’s just bad coaching. I’ll get myself straightened out and I’ll work on what needs to be changed.’’

While the head coach tried to take the responsibility for two straight sets of uninspiring performances, Marcus Smart and many of his teammates dismissed that notion.

“That’s just coach being coach. He cares too much,’’ said Smart. “He’s a competitor still, so he’s going to feel like it’s his fault, but, we’re the ones out there playing. He puts us in a great position to succeed and we failed on each other. We didn’t hold each other accountable out there on certain plays, myself included, and we just have to come together as a team.’’

The Celtics are clinging to the No. 8 spot in a tight East playoff picture after the defeats, with a challenging stretch of 12 games in 20 days looming in the next three weeks. The tough schedule makes the need for a quick turnaround even more pronounced.

While changes are certainly coming from the head coach, Thomas put even more of the onus on the players for not playing up to their potential on given nights.

“It seems like [we play down to teams], for whatever reason,’’ Thomas declared. “We’re definitely not one of the best teams in the NBA so I don’t get how we could possibly think it’s OK to play down to anybody. When we don’t play hard and we’re not the aggressive team, we’re one of the worst teams in the NBA. But when we bring that aggressiveness and we’re having fun and we’re defending, we’re one of the top teams in the NBA. I think a lot of people see that. So, somehow, some way, we’ve got to become more consistent.’’

Thomas and company won’t have to wait long for a chance to get the season back on track, as they get a rematch with the Nets at the Barclays Center on Monday.

“If you’re a professional basketball player or a professional in any sport,’’ Thomas said, “You should bring it no matter who you’re playing collectively as a team. Some nights we just don’t do that and, the nights we don’t do it, we lose. If we don’t understand that, sooner or later, we’re not going to get anything we want out of this season.’’