Malcolm Brogdon says Celtics' identity has waned over season - ESPN

MIAMI — As the Boston Celtics stare down the possibility of being swept out of the Eastern Conference finals, guard Malcolm Brogdon said the team's issues against Miami in this series are a symptom of season-long issues against consistent opponents, adding that Boston's identity has «waned all year long» and that its defense has slipped.

«I think it's teams that have a strong identity,» Brogdon said during an off-day availability session Monday afternoon at the team's hotel ahead of Game 4 Tuesday night. «I think Miami is one of the teams, one of the few teams in the league — Miami, Denver, there are only a few of them — that have a really strong identity and they play by it every single night. They're super committed to it.

»And, for us, our identity has waned all year long. We've been trying to figure out who we are, because I think we're such a great, talented scoring team, but when we don't make shots, we got to rely on our defense, and our defense isn't consistent every night.

«So, playing a team that's very consistent and disciplined, we struggle.»

Boston certainly has struggled over the past week, going from the high of Jayson Tatum scoring 51 points to knock off Boston's oldest rival, the Philadelphia 76ers, in the Eastern Conference semifinals, to losing two straight games at home to Miami to begin this series with fourth quarter implosions before being run out of Kaseya Center on Sunday night in Game 3 under an avalanche of Heat shot-making.

After Sunday night's demoralizing loss, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla admitted Boston's defense has regressed. After being ranked second in the regular season, Boston's defense is allowing three more points per 100 possessions in the postseason and has dropped to 10th among