Stevens on latest loss: 'I just don't know that we're that good'

The Boston Celtics stumbled once again Wednesday evening in a 117-109 defeat by the New York Knicks, losing their third game in a row and the seventh in their last 10.

It's the latest setback for a team that was expected to contend for an NBA Finals berth, and it prompted some soul-searching from head coach Brad Stevens.

"I just don’t know that we’re that good. Maybe it’s not a wakeup call if you keep getting beat," said Stevens, according to The Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach.

The Celtics dug themselves a hole early, prompting boos from the home crowd midway through the second quarter when they fell behind by 20 points.

Boston rallied in the fourth quarter, getting within four points with 50 seconds remaining before the Knicks iced the game.

"It would have been a shame for the Celtics to win that game," said Stevens. "The Knicks deserved to win. We gave ourselves a chance, but that’s all it was."

Stevens doesn't see his club "playing with the same personality" as they did last season. After last week's loss to the Utah Jazz, star point guard Kyrie Irving challenged youngsters Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who are both mired in slumps.

But time isn't on the Celtics' side, and postgame, there was a sense of urgency in the locker room.

"We just can’t wait anymore, honestly," said Irving. "From myself, everybody else as a collective, to our coaching staff, we just don’t have time to really be waiting to kind of see if guys are going to give that extra effort, including myself."