Inside The Celtics

Malcolm Brogdon Shares His Message to the Celtics After Overtime Loss to Cavaliers

The Celtics have lost four of their last five games and will soon play six-straight on the road.

Bobby Krivitsky

Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
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Monday night in Cleveland, the Celtics came up short for the third-straight game and fourth in their last five, falling 118-114 to the Cavaliers.

On the heels of a double-overtime defeat against the Knicks Sunday night in Boston, the visitors, down three starters, including Jayson Tatum, listed as out due to a left knee contusion, showed a lot of fight.

Their tempo, offensive activity, and defense were outstanding in the first half, taking a 68-56 lead into the break.

But in the third quarter, fatigue became apparent as the Celtics slowed the pace that helped propel them to a double-digit advantage. While understandable given the circumstances Monday, that's also consistently plagued them.

It's at the root of why they've blown double-digit advantages in three-straight games. No lead is safe in today's NBA, where teams play at a fast pace and take more threes than ever. But there's still a science behind blowing double-digit advantages, and for Boston, slowing the tempo down has consistently proven detrimental.

Monday, another common theme from the Celtics' recent defeats was an inability to keep the opposition off the glass when it mattered most.

They squandered a 14-point advantage at the start of the fourth quarter as the Cavaliers converted eight offensive rebounds into 14 second-chance points.

While Grant Williams went to the line with the game tied at 119 with 0.8 seconds left and a chance to render that irrelevant, it's the primary reason Boston's hopes of winning in regulation came down to his free throws.

The Celtics are now two games back of the Bucks and two ahead of the third-seeded Sixers.

They host Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers on Wednesday. Then, they play six straight on the road.

Malcolm Brogdon returned from a two-game absence due to right ankle soreness and delivered 24 points, five assists, and four rebounds in defeat.

After the loss, Brogdon shared the message he told Blake Griffin.

"There's definitely urgency, and I think it's less even about the playoffs than it is about this road trip coming up. I was just talking to Blake; we really need to win this game against Portland so (that) we can leave Boston on a good note."

Further Reading

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Loss vs. Cavaliers: Boston Pays for Second-Chance Points Surrendered and Grant Williams' Missed FTs

Should the Celtics Prioritize Rest Over Their Pursuit of the One Seed? Joe Mazzulla Weighs in

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Loss vs. Knicks: Is it Time for a Priority Shift?

Celtics Address a Glaring Issue They've Yet to Solve: 'We've Got to Find a Way to Play a Complete 48 Minutes'

Joe Mazzulla Shares His Perspective on the Roots of the Celtics' Collapse vs. Nets

Jayson Tatum on Load Management: 'I Just Think About the Young Kid, the Kid Inside Me from St. Louis That Dreamed About Being in the NBA'

A Top Celtics Free-Agent Target Signs Elsewhere, Where Does Boston Go from Here?

Jayson Tatum Unveils Jordan Tatum 1's

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Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

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