The Atlanta Hawks stunned the Boston Celtics on home court with a 123-122 triumph. A ‘hot’ performance from the hosts’ Dejounte Murray produced the drama in their fourth and final matchup of the regular season. As Celtics faced their second defeat to the Hawks in just three days, Skip Bayless raised his doubts over the visitor’s capability.
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The sports analyst openly questioned the championship contender’s strategies and mindset using Murray’s display as a reference. The 72-year-old hinted at how the Celtics’ shortcomings became apparent as they let the Hawks’ shooting guard attempt 44 shots. It kept the home side in the game as the 2022 All-Star ensured a victory with a game-winning three-pointer while registering 44 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists as per ESPN.
Bayless voiced his concerns on X (formerly Twitter), stating,
“Dejounte Murray basically kept going 1 on 5, took 44 shots, scored 44 points, made so many crucial jumpers capped by the game-winning j over Holiday as the Hawks beat the full-strength Celtics in OT. That’s twice in a week. Makes you wonder about Boston”.
Furthermore, he utilized the situation to call out the franchise icon Paul Pierce for the latter’s inclination toward defending the team. Highlighting the Celtics’ sustained inability to protect the lead, Bayless wrote,
“Can’t wait to hear how Paul Pierce tries to defend his Celtics on tomorrow’s Undisputed. They were 16-point favorites tonight after blowing a 30-point lead earlier this week in Atlanta”.
Amidst the harshness, the words contained an ample amount of truth. After all, the organization entered the last two clashes as favorites, yet succumbed to the pressure from an inconsistent Hawks roster. It undoubtedly affected their momentum while ending their eight-game winning streak.
However, the franchise continues to lead the NBA in win percentage (78.1%) while maintaining a 57-16 run as per ESPN. It displays their capability to eventually make a comeback in the process of cementing their status as title favorites. Yet, the road ahead is bound to become more challenging as the organization aims to overcome the pain of the previous two postseason campaigns.
