The Boston Celtics played a close one with the Atlanta Hawks but failed to take the win in overtime. Jayson Tatum led the team with 31 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists. However, it wasn’t enough. Although Boston is way ahead of the Eastern Conference playoff race, Paul Pierce seemingly didn’t like what he saw.

During a segment on Undisputed on Fox Sports 1, Pierce criticized the Celtics for losing to the Hawks twice in a row. With Boston aiming to clinch the No. 1 seed, Paul Pierce believes they should smash opponents like Atlanta.

“You wanna start developing your mind for the big picture. Teams like Atlanta, you should be [crushing] every single time.”

The good news for the Celtics is they’re currently 11 games ahead of the second-placed Milwaukee Bucks. Even so, losing two in a row to the Hawks is a bit odd. Atlanta is in line to participate in the play-in tournament while Boston has looked like the best team in the league this season. So, it makes sense why Paul Pierce called them out for the back-to-back loss.

On the other hand, it’s the final stretch of the regular season and the Celtics have already locked up the No. 1 seed. Being healthy and ready for the postseason is substantially more important right now. Additionally, even if Boston faces Atlanta in the first round, it’s hard to imaging the Hawks beating them out in a seven-game series.

The Celtics’ playoff outlook

Boston is in a prime position to go on a deep playoff run this season. Even if Paul Pierce criticizes them over some regular season losses. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown look as good as ever and the addition of Kristaps Porzingis has elevated the offensive output for this team. Additionally, the emergence of Derrick White is helpful too.

With that said, the Celtics could run into a tough matchup in the opening round, depending on how the play-in tournament plays out. Both the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers are sitting at the seven and eight seeds. Those are two teams that could give Boston a scare from the jump.

So, Boston could be in for an upset scare depending on who they face in the opening round. If the Celtics can get over that hurdle, there’s no reason to believe they can’t at least make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. But with how well this team is playing, it’s championship or bust.

For that reason, look for Tatum and Brown to really turn on the jets once the postseason begins. They have all of the tools necessary to win a tittle. If they can make it happen, it will be the first championship win for the Celtics since 2008.