“We were fine (in the first half). Once they turned it up a little bit in the second (half), we played stupid and we just gave some possessions away”. Kristaps Porzingis did not mince words in his criticism after the Celtics loss to the Thunder earlier this month. His remarks indicated the birth of a theory that the 29-year-old is unhappy with his team’s run this season.

Despite the Boston Celtics having the 3 best record this season, making attempts for a potential two-peat means the team cannot afford too many mistakes. And losing to one of the worst teams this season certainly comes under that. Therefore, Kristaps Porzingis did not hold back his criticisms, while a renowned reporter attempted to put down any rumors about a potential locker room tension.

In the aftermath of the Celtics-Raptors game, reports revealed the Latvian looked visibly frustrated. Porzingis even went out of his way to state, “I think we played with no like spirit, no personality, and just like weak performance for us, honestly. So, yeah, we just played with no personality, right now”.

Porzingis’s remarks came right after ESPN reporter Keith Smith launched a debate on X. It all began when he highlighted that the recent Celtics loss would be a “whatever” type of thing. Maybe because the team’s existing record allows them to occupy the 2 seed on the Eastern Conference chart. This led to a social media user claiming that some tension may exist in the locker room. After all, he claimed the team is leaving open lanes to the rim, coverages are falling apart, and effort, is according to him, looks “lazy”.

Smith snubbed the viewpoint by stating, “Y’all listen to too much sports radio if this is where you go.” As a barrage of other tweets started appearing, Smith took an ultimate stand by claiming that “There hasn’t been a single piece of reporting that suggests there are issues in the locker room.” Yikes!

The term ‘locker-room’ tension has been used for several NBA teams over the months, including the 76ers, the Phoenix Suns, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Golden State Warriors. However, the Boston Celtics? As Keith Smith highlighted, no official reports have come out to indicate the same. Therefore, one can presume that Kristaps Porzingis is the sole vocal critic of his team.

At the same time, the Latvian would be right to do so. After all, against the Toronto Raptors, the overall efficiency rating for the Celtics squad stood at -13. Kristaps Porzingis himself had a -17 plus/minus rating. After all, despite having a field goal percentage of 63.6%, and a three-pointer percentage of 80%, the starting Center allowed 3 turnovers. On top of that, the plus/minus of Jaylen Brown and Derrick White also stood at -23 and -29, respectively.

Despite the criticism that Porzingis may hold, there remains some assurance the Celtics will not lose their seed anytime soon. Therefore, the player indicated the team should improve, but not at the cost of panicking.

Kristaps Porzingis denies any sense of panic in the Celtics locker room: “We are in a bad moment right now”

The loss against the Toronto Raptors marked the 3 game the Celtics lost over their last 5 matchups. Therefore, during the post-game Q&A session, a reporter asked Kristaps Porzingis whether this streak was developing any additional concerns amongst the squad.

After thinking for some time, the player jokingly replied, “If I was panicking…. If we were panicking, I wouldn’t tell you.” On a serious note, however, Porzingis also added: “But we are not. But we are in a bad moment right now, for sure. We have to be realistic, like looking in the mirror. Like, we are not playing the best basketball, we are not executing”.

In the end, Porzingis highlighted, “We have to be honest and look at ourselves individually”.

From Keith Smith debating with folks on X to Kristaps Porzingis highlighting his criticism, opinions differ on just where the Boston Celtics stand right now. Amidst the trouble brewing for so many NBA franchises, they are the team currently sitting in the most stable position.

Nonetheless, whether these recent incidents are a sign, that trouble may be brewing for the Celtics remains something to see in the coming months.