At 32-years old, Boston Celtics forward Gerald Wallace might not be able to contribute much on the court, but he’s still able to provide necessary leadership off the floor. Following Sunday’s loss at home to the Detroit Pistons, Wallace held an impromptu meeting with his younger teammates. Via Mike Petraglia of WEEI:
“I think everybody understood by the way everybody felt,” Wallace said. “They kind of felt this loss. They know that we weren’t supposed to lose this game. We already had two tough games on the road. Coming home, with the way our schedule is, this was a game we had to win, we needed to win. I think they understand we gave this game away and we have to take advantage of them.
“We have [13] games left. Probably out of those 13 games, nine or 10 of those games are [against] playoff teams or teams that are fighting us for that playoff position. They’re competing and they’re fighting just as hard as we are. We’ve got to understand that we just can’t anticipate just showing up and expecting to win the ballgame.”
That’s the kind of guidance you expect from Wallace, the elder statesman of a rebuilding Celtics’ squad. Sunday’s loss to Detroit left the Celtics tied for ninth in the Eastern Conference, a half-game behind Charlotte for the last spot in the playoffs.
Boston can’t afford to dwell on the loss. Five of their next seven games come against the five teams they’re competing with for the final three playoff spots in the East, starting with Monday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets.
Photo: USA Today