The Boston Celtics are mired in an extended cold streak, and they need to do something to snap out of it.
Ahead of their Wednesday night against the Atlanta Hawks, the team had logged a 7-13 record in their previous 20 games. They fell below .500 for the first time since the first five games of the season during the streak and everyone everywhere is looking for ways for the team to fix their problems.
On Celtics Pregame Live, former Celtics Kendrick Perkins and Brian Scalabrine offered their takes on what Boston needs to do to right the ship.
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Perkins, for one, wants to see Brad Stevens have a bit more fire on the floor. He also had a specific message for the Celtics' head coach.
"You've gotta start putting guys in their place, holding them accountable," Perkins said. "I get it. It's not in Brad's demeanor but it's not in Ty Lue's demeanor either. But I watched him get on guys and meet guys at halfcourt and complain at certain periods of time when need be.
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"You've got to hold guys accountable. And if that means coming out of your comfort zone, then that's just it. You've got to do whatever it takes to get the best out of each player."
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Scalabrine had a bit of a different take than Perkins. He was less focused on Stevens and more on the player side of the coin.
"I think it's about the individual players stepping up and being competitive," Scalabrine said. "There's a certain amount of strategy in being a head coach. I do think that players have to be competitive. I think players have to do certain things to win games.
"It's not just getting buckets and having stats. There's more to winning than that."
One way or another, the Celtics are going to have to step up in some way to snap their recent skid. Whether that's via Stevens bringing more fire or the players holding themselves accountable, they need to figure it out soon.
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Otherwise, they'll continue to slip further down the standings in the crowded Eastern Conference.
