This is a continuation, not from last season, but from the 2020 playoffs. This is not a talent issue, our roster is top 5 in the East with 2 top 30 players.
This team is suffering from a toughness/execution issue that neither the players nor Stevens or Udoka have fixed. Stevens masked the issue until last season.
The way these teams continue to attack at a defector, I’m sure the scouting report on the C’s is that if you keep pressure on them they will fold, and voila.