What Boston is saying after first 0-3 start since 2013-14

For the first time since the 2013-14 season The Boston Celtics opened their campaign with three consecutive losses. Their latest setback, a 119-113 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Sunday, left the team searching for answers and perspective after a surprisingly slow start.

Guard Payton Pritchardwho finished with 21 points, spoke honestly after the defeat. “Three more games,” Pritchard said, via NBC Sports Boston. “I think this is my first time really going on a three-game losing streak. So it’s unfamiliar to me. It’s a little bit of a bummer. So you look at this and use it to make us better.

But we’re going to look at it, do offensive things, defensive things that we can add to make us better.”

Head coach Joe Mazzulla he echoed that sentiment, noting that effort must now meet execution. “What’s important is we make sure we continue to stick to the process of trying to win,” Macula said.

“We had a 17-point lead today. We have to close out the second quarter better. Obviously, fouls and rebounds. I thought we played a complete game with effort, and now we have to play a complete game with effort and execution.”

The Celtics got off to a hot start, jumping out to a 14-2 lead and leading by as many as 17 points before seeing the lead fade away in the second half. Jaylen Brown led all scorers with 41 points, while Derrick White added 15 and Anfernee Simmons added 12 off the bench.

Despite spurts of offensive rhythm, Boston’s defensive lapses and rebounding issues proved costly, a pattern that has plagued them in all three of their early season losses.

Boston is going through this difficult period without Jayson Tatumwho remains on the sidelines, as well as the key departures of Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford. Their absence has forced the Celtics to rely on a smaller, heavy-duty rotation at point guard while integrating new pieces.

Still, this 0-3 start serves as both a wake-up call and a test of character for a team long defined by its resilience. For a franchise measured in pennants, not starts, Boston’s focus now shifts from frustration to adjustment because, as Pritchard said, “a little trouble” could be just what the Celtics need to spark a turnaround.