On December 8, the Boston Celtics looked like they were on top of the NBA world. At that point in time, they were a league-best 21-5 and were coming off of a dominant 125-98 win over a stout Phoenix Suns team.

Since then, the Celtics are a measly 8-7, which includes back-to-back losses to the Magic and, most recently, a 150-117 humiliating loss on the road against Oklahoma City. So what is going on?

There are a couple of factors, but the main factor with the Celtics is three-point shooting. The Celtics went from shooting 41 percent from three as a team in November to shooting a putrid 32 percent as a team in December. Live and die by the three.

The other factor is defense. The Celtics’ defense has not been as good as last year since the beginning of the year. Many pundits thought that adding Robert Williams back from injury would go a long way to alleviate some defensive woes. However, he has not to this point.

There’s plenty of time for the Celtics to get back on track, and they certainly have the talent and roster composition to do so.