The learning curve for this supercharged Celtics squad might be slightly steeper than anticipated, but even after a back-to-back skid of losses, they're far from Sisyphus pushing a boulder up the hill.
The Celtics hardly played with a style worthy of a road win against the Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday. Philly outplayed them in the paint and outscored them in second-chance points and in the fast break. They got outhustled and outsmarted, perhaps best exemplified by a series in the third quarter during which Al Horford clanked a three off the rim, only to be beat alongside Jayson Tatum in a 1-on-2 by Joel Embiid on the other end. With all of Philly's follows on the glass and defensive efforts, it was no surprise they held a double-digit lead late into the game.
And yet…the Celtics were in it.
There was no one better to speak on the contest than Kristaps Porzingis, whose dreadful shot attempt in the final seconds sealed the Sixers' win.
"We're on the road against Philly, who's playing incredible, and we still found a way how to get back in the game and had a chance to tie it and go into overtime, possibly," Porzingis said postgame. "We fought hard and many positives and negatives we can take from this and learn from this."
There were plenty of technical lessons for the Celtics to take away from the loss, as Porzingis described having to "rewire" himself to adjust to the drop coverage in which he's expected to play in Boston.
The bigger thesis for these two losses could be put as such: all the talent in the world can't save a team from growing pains.
The Celtics are the league's most talented team, as Embiid acknowledged to reporters postgame, but they're still in early-season puberty, and that can be unattractive. Jaylen Brown and Al Horford have started the season in various stages of a vision quest trying to fit into this new lineup, and both have carried over bad habits from the past. Porzingis appears to be an immediate fit with the Jays, but it will be a process to figure out offensive distribution. Head coach Joe Mazzulla went through plenty of growing pains last season. He will need to further balance his team's scoring approach, and may benefit from spending less time combing through Gary Washburn's old Globe columns in the process.
The Celtics have the pieces to be the league's heavyweight. It's fair, after watching the early success of the 2008 team, to wonder how many lessons this team needs to endure to achieve that status. But the Sixers loss is an indication of how close to total control they are, if they can weather a brief adolescence.
