1. That’s led to some slightly concerning turnouts, including a 21-point halftime deficit against the New York Knicks on Thursday night. The Celtics stormed back before ultimately taking a nine-point loss at TD Garden. Rather than worrying about recent efforts, FS1’s Colin Cowherd sees the collection of a greater trend around the NBA.

Teams like the Celtics can flip the switch on the scoresheet when the flurry of capable shooters get going from three-point range. Cowherd believes that’s been more reflective of the Celtics as of late.

“The playoffs don’t start until April 20,” Cowherd shared on “The Herd” on Friday. “So, they’re not the most focused team right now. Maybe that used to be the case.”

Hall of Famer Charles Barkley was among the media members to call out the Celtics’ tough start on Thursday, though Cowherd understood the mindset from different eras.

“It’s a life raft on bad nights,” Cowherd added. “Teams like Boston can mail it in, get outplayed and have a five-minute run late (in the) fourth quarter and end up blowing out a team by double-digits. That wasn’t the way in Barkley’s or Shaq’s (O’Neal) day.”

This is human nature,” Cowherd continued. “They take their foot off the gas. It happens all the time in the NBA now. … I don’t think it’s a lack of care. I think it’s the reality of the three-point shot. If you’re offensively gifted, you can fall asleep.”

The Celtics finish their final two regular-season games this weekend before beginning their ultimate quest through the NBA playoffs. It happens all the time.