"Tanking for Cooper Flagg"- NBA fans berate Celtics as slump continues with blowout loss to 10-win Raptors

The Boston Celtics lost to the Toronto Raptors 110-97 at the Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday. The Celtics (28-12) remained in second place in the Eastern Conference while the Raptors (10-31) found themselves in 13th place, primed for a shot at Cooper Flagg in the 2025 NBA Draft.

It's the continuation of the defending champions' uneven play of late. The Celtics are 3-2 in their last five games. On Wednesday night, none of the starters cracked 20 points. Superstar Jayson Tatum put up an inefficient 16 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists after his 38-point explosion in their close win against the Pelicans on Sunday night.

NBA fans berated Boston after the surprising result against the Raptors.

"We’re pretending to be a*s tanking for Cooper Flagg" - Suggested one fan

"Celtics are a bunch of frauds lmao" - Replied another fan of the Milwaukee Bucks

"Something isn’t right with them this year. I think they lose to the Knicks or Cavs in the playoffs." - Predicted another fan

A few more fans took their shots at the Celtics.

"The East is supposed to be scared of that team???" - Asked a Cavaliers fan

"We are not surprised the celtics are garbage" - Claimed another fan

Meanwhile, another fan berated both teams for the result.

"That’s a bad loss for the Celtics and a bad win for the Raptors. Those should’ve been easy games to accomplish what both teams truly wanted tonight" - another fan explained.

Joe Mazzulla makes his feelings known about concerning Celtics loss

Joe Mazzulla has developed a penchant for witty postgame quotes, but he was curt in his team's assessment on Wednesday. Amid a 7-7 winter slump, the 2024 NBA champion coach emphasized the need to remain focused and find enjoyment in team basketball.

“Just stick together,” Mazzulla told reporters, postgame. “Obviously, we’re not playing our best basketball. You can’t expect things to always be easy. You can’t have an expectation that it’s always supposed to go your way, cause it’s not."

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for a season-low 26 points against the Raptors. The Celtics found it hard to break down Toronto's hounding defense in the fourth quarter, scoring only 15 points as the deficit ballooned.

Amid this winter slump, the New York Knicks (27-15) have made up ground and will be gunning for the second spot in the East.

Boston remains one of the best units in the NBA but catching the Cavaliers, who now have a 6.5-game lead at the top of the East, appears to be a long shot at this juncture.

The Celtics will be looking to arrest their slide when they take on the Orlando Magic at home on Friday night.