Somehow the Boston Celtics were on the wrong end of a 126-116 finish against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, marking the C’s second loss in a row. Following Saturday’s game, Kyrie Irving told reporters in Chicago he wasn’t fazed by the loss, unlike Marcus Smart, who feels the Celtics’ effort level is an issue.
Jayson Tatum didn’t specifically touch on the loss to the Bulls, but he did address the matter of the Celtics’ ups and downs throughout 2018-19 with Shams Charania of The Athletic.
It’s no secret: Everybody in the world can see that our team is different this year than last year. It’s taking some time. Every time we lose a game, it’s not the end of the world. We all have to bring it, and it starts with me too.
Tatum’s right. The sky isn’t falling every time Boston suffers a loss — though they can’t afford many more if they want a better seed come playoff time. But it’s felt like each loss this year has been the end of the world, especially when the Celtics lose back-to-back. That’s in large part due to the expectations set for the team prior to the season—expectations Tatum still holds on to.
The championship is the goal. It was at the beginning of the season for me and all of us, and it still is now.
