Eddie House has strong reaction to C’s defensive woes after loss to Toronto originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

It may be unfair to call it a “championship hangover” since they’re still second in the Eastern Conference standings, but the Boston Celtics’ rough patch continued Wednesday night in Toronto.

The C’s fell to the Raptors 110-97 in one of their worst all-around performances of the 2024-25 season. They shot just 39.6 percent from the floor but allowed Toronto to make 50.6 percent of their shots.

Boston is now 7-7 in its last 14 games, with three double-digit losses in its last five. Defensive issues were arguably the main reason for these poor results, and former Celtics guard Eddie House didn’t hold back in his assessment of the team’s recent efforts on that end of the court.

“Yeah, it was bad,” House said of the Celtics’ loss. “I’m just trying to figure out this team. … We talk about the 3-pointers and our field goals and everything else with it, like how we score the basketball, but to me it’s the exact opposite. It’s the defense. The defense last month stunk. We put together a quarter here, a quarter there, maybe a half here and a half there. But a complete game with a championship-caliber defense, I just didn’t see that.

“I don’t know what it is. I don’t know if it’s fatigue, I don’t know if it’s just the dog days of January and late December, whatever the case, but we’re going to get the best chance for every team. So we don’t have to say, “Oh man, we’re surprised we’re getting the best out of everyone.” You know that. You are the champions. You know what I mean? They come from winning a World Cup. You’ll get the best shot of each team, so you’d better be prepared. And for whatever reason, I don’t know, I just feel like (the Celtics) were a step slow. Eighteen field goals (allowed) in restricted area. There are just too many, I’m sorry.”

The C’s loss moves them to 28-12 on the season, still second in the East but further behind (6.5 games) the first-place Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference standings. House isn’t worried about the Celtics’ repeat chances yet, but believes it’s time for “self-reflection” for the reigning champions.

“There’s no panic button you can push,” House said. “But this team needs to do some soul searching and say, ‘Hey man, it’s just not good enough.’ Especially what you’re trying to do because you’re in the process of building habits, and the habits that develop and happen aren’t great habits.

“If you want to repeat, the main focus of that repetition is that it has to happen on defense so you can be as good as you are on offense.”

Boston will look to bounce back on Friday when it hosts the Orlando Magic at TD Garden. The match is scheduled to kick off at 7:00 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston.

Check out House and Dem’s full reaction Celtic’s aftermath live Crew below or on YouTube: