It is no secret that the Celtics are not succeeding the way fans and those around the league expected them to so far this season despite the immense talent they have on the roster. When you watch the superiorly talented Celtics team lose to teams like the Magic and the Heat after coming off one of their best performances of the season against the Pacers, it’s clear the issue isn’t talent. The issue is identity.
Kyrie Irving is the best player on the Boston Celtics. He is a proven champion, making him a de facto leader of this team. First, let me say I do love Kyrie and think he is a good leader; however, when I watch the Celtics play this year I see a style of play that has Kyrie’s identity written all over it most games. Finesse. Flashy plays. Doing too much at times. All the things that make Kyrie an amazing scorer and fun player to watch are things that are leading to the Celtics inconsistencies. At times, the Celtics don’t look like they have that chip on their shoulder that Celtic teams of the past have had. The banged up squad that took Lebron to 7 games in the Eastern Conference Finals had that chip on their shoulder and played with a toughness, a grit, a flat out nasty personality. That team played without Kyrie, but they did play with Marcus Smart and Marcus Morris.
For the Celtics to gain the level of consistency they need to have to make it to the NBA Finals or win the Finals, they have to capture the identity of Smart and Morris. Brad Stevens knows it, or else they wouldn’t be starting in front of players better than them. The Marcus’ identity is toughness and physicality with little finesse. They are the guys who are first to the ground for loose ball and first to the scrum if they didn’t start it. The plays Smart and Morris make energize the team, energize the crowd, and just like Kyrie, are contagious. They also intimidate the opponent and make them know nothing is gonna be easy on any given night. Despite having a very good defensive season, they don’t appear to strike the same fear in their opponents as Celtic teams of the past.
The Marcus Identity came into fruition on Wednesday night in their win against the Raptors. It was late in the game and Al Horford drove the lane and dunked on Serge Ibaka, bumped him, stared him down, and said something to him. Al Horford. The reserved Al Horford. It was that moment that I believe will be the turning point in the season. That moment told me that something is changing with this team and for my money, it is transitioning to playing with Marcus identity.
And, no. Kyrie needs to stay!
