Celtics said they discussed how to ‘play better as a group’ in team meeting
The Celtics say they held a team meeting Monday to discuss some of the recent struggles the team has experienced on the court. Boston, who had just arrived in Los Angeles for a four-game road stretch, was coming off three consecutive losses for the first time all season.
While the team also fell to the Lakers Tuesday night, they snapped their four-game skid against the Clippers the following day. After Wednesday’s win, players informed reporters of both the meeting and its importance.
“It was tough that we lost after the meeting,” Terry Rozier said. “But it was still a good meeting for us, something that we needed to have.”
“We talked about a lot of things that we can get better at,” Rozier continued. “We were struggling, but it was good to get a win [Wednesday.] Just hopefully we can pick it back up and just stay positive and go up from here.”
News of the Celtics’ group discussion comes right on the heels of the news that their Eastern Conference rival, the Cavaliers, had done the same. Cleveland, who has lost 11 of its last 15, met Monday to address their tumultuous state of affairs.
“We aired any grievances we had and we’re going to move forward,” Kevin Love told reporters, via AP. “Hopefully we’ll be better for it, we have been in the past.”
Although Love expressed regret that word about their meeting was leaked publicly, the Celtics seemed OK acknowledging the team’s private conversation, without offering too many details.
“I’m trying to think about the right thing to say before it gets misconstrued,” Kyrie Irving said. “Team meetings, it happens all the time. We could call every time we meet a team meeting. Throughout your professional career, there are going to be times where you’re tested.”
Irving added Boston is focused on managing the factors within their control and ensuring everyone is in a position to excel at their role. The team “collectively coming together” as a group will not only facilitate their efforts, but much of these efforts will also, in turn, lead to a more effective operation as a group.
The All-Star is confident that the leadership of head coach Brad Stevens will also help the Celtics to continue to improve as the season progresses.
“He echoes a message to us leaders on the team, and then we go out there and try to maximize that opportunity of getting better every single day,” Irving said. “I think that we did a great job of just putting everything out on the table. It’s just about being professional and going out there and executing.”
When asked for specifics on what the Celtics discussed, Rozier didn’t offer much other than “just group things.”
“Sometimes when you have them talks within your brothers, you don’t want it to get out, but it’s nothing personal,” he said. “It’s just something that we all just have to get better at. We talked about things that we can just get better at as a group.”
When pressed further for details, Rozier re-stated the focus was to “play better as a group,” before chuckling.
“Y’all trying to get something out of me?” he joked.
