Coming into this 2024-25 NBA regular season, all the talk regionally around the Boston Celtics was along the lines of, "they finally got over the hump," and "now they get the benefit of doubt having done it."

Well, that's starting to be chipped away in certain corners of the fanbase with the team mired in an up-and-down stretch of basketball. Boston began the year 21-5, it was all sunshine and roses. They're 7-7 since, and the critics are starting to chirp.

The starting five has played 147 total minutes in the last 10 games and are a -40 as a unit. The most they have outscored an opponent by during the stretch is just +3, and the starters have combined for a 28.2 shooting percentage from 3pt range in the last 10 games.

But it's not just a shooting slump that's ailing the Celtics, which is what is causing some to squirm. As A. Sherod Blakely recently put it while on a CLNS media podcast, the Celtics "are playing without passion, energy. or focus."

You hope it's just the dog days of the NBA season for a team that played deep into the summer last year, had 60% of its starters in Paris the rest of the summer with team USA, and let's not forget, won 21 of its first 26 contests this year.

They've been there, they've done it, and they're focused on June again. The problem is, it's January. Maybe this team doesn't have the same hunger that it did last year, but it's got more talent. That's why I'm thinking the green team will be just fine.

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