The Celtics are invulnerable no more. An 8-7 record in the last 15 is far from a championship form and the Boston side is graciously admitting it. Jaylen Brown, one of their chief architects in the title win last season, has been calling for calm in recent post-game interviews but there’s an exception to everything. Like the one he took with a media personnel’s argument after the loss of the Kings.

The disappointing 97-114 defeat had already frustrated Jaylen Brown, but what added more to it was a reporter’s remark during the post-game interview about their recent performance. The reporter said that compared to last season, the Celtics squad is struggling more, especially following their road trip. Brown politely brushed it off by saying, “Different year.”

However, when pressed further with the claim that they aren’t fighting through some of the challenges, Brown was visibly annoyed. Disagreeing with them, Brown clarified, “We’re fighting. We definitely making, playing some good basketball. We just figured it out. I guess that would be your opinion to say that we’re not fighting. I think that opinion would be not valid. But it’s a different year.”

Brown felt the need to remind everyone, “Last year is over.” Sure, they finished with an impressive 64-18 record last season, while they’re currently sitting at 27-11 this season but expecting them to replicate the same record is asking too much. So, he put last season’s success behind him and emphasized focusing on what’s ahead. “We gotta figure it out this year, and we gotta do whatever it takes. We got a new unit. You know, we’ve had guys out, had guys injured… So we just gotta treat it as such. It’s a new year. Last year is over with,” he added.

While the Celtics star refused to admit that they were lacking in delivering a good performance lately, head coach Joe Mazzulla not only acknowledged it but also took a jab at Jaylen Brown and his partner Jayson Tatum.

Joe Mazzulla takes a dig at Jaylen Brown & Jayson Tatum

After Friday’s loss, Mazzulla shared his thoughts on what’s going wrong with the Celtics during the postgame press conference. “The inconsistencies on the offensive end, putting pressure on our defense,” he said. Mazzulla believed that’s what gave Sacramento the advantage. The HC further added, “You gotta be able to score, and then you gotta be able to defend. So, just those inconsistencies on the offensive end at times, whether it’s shot-making, whether it’s execution, whether it’s spacing.”

The ones reliable for the Celtics’ offense are Brown and Tatum, and calling the scoring inconsistent, Mazzulla raised a question about the performance of the Boston duo. While Brown contributed 28 points, 5 assists, and a rebound, Tatum wasn’t as impactful in terms of scoring. He finished with a 15-12-5 stat line, making it difficult for the team to cut into the 17-point deficit that the Kings built in the final quarter alone.

With the offense led by Brown and Tatum falling short, it created added pressure on the defense, according to Mazzulla. This forced the defenders to work harder to hold back the Kings and compensate for the lack of scoring.

There’s still time to step up and work their way through as the competition is intensifying. While it seemed last season that the Celtics had lesser threats, that’s not the case this year. Brown and Tatum need to polish their offense before it’s too late, otherwise, they might have to crush their hopes of repeating as champions.