The Celtics continued their sensational start to the season on Monday night with a 119-108 victory over a “contending” Bucks team at TD Garden. It was the third straight loss for Milwaukee, an ugly streak earlier in the year that also included two ugly losses to likely lottery-bound teams in Chicago and Brooklyn. Perhaps even more concerning than the Bucks’ 1-3 start is what exactly the team is saying about it, even before they lost to the Celtics.

“Right now we have no identity,” Giannis Antetokounmpo told reporters on Sunday. “How are we going to win the game? Will we defend for 48 minutes? Are we going to move the ball for 48 minutes? Will we attack and play fast for 48 minutes – or will we play for 36 minutes and slow down in the last 12 minutes? We have to find an identity. We don’t have that at the moment.”

• BET: Check out ours MA Sports Betting Guidewhere you can learn basic terminology, definitions and how to read odds for those interested in learning how to bet in Massachusetts.

The Bucks currently have the 25th ranked defense in the NBA, which continues to be a concern for Doc Rivers for this team.

“I think this team is enjoying the offense right now, and when they’re happy and playing well, that’s when the defense comes into play,” Rivers said Sunday in Brooklyn. “You don’t like this. One would like it to be the other way around, but that’s how we are now. And that’s why we have to fix both.”

When looking at this Bucks defense, it’s hard not to think about the impact Jrue Holiday has had on the Celtics since his arrival last offseason. It’s also fair to wonder how much his absence contributed to Milwaukee’s decline on that end of the floor. There’s no question that the Bucks needed some turmoil after their first-round exit to the Heat in the summer of 2023, but a year later, it’s easy to ponder whether giving up on Holiday will ever be worth it consider what this roster can accomplish with an aging Damian Lillard.

The Bucks traded Holiday, Grayson Allen, a first-round pick and a future pick swap to the Blazers when they signed an All-Star point guard last September. Holiday carried a heavy burden in his final year in Milwaukee, as he was sidelined as a second option due to injuries to the walking-impaired Khris Middleton. However, his defensive loss is still being felt in this group a year after his departure, with no attractive replacement in the pipeline.

With the Lillard deal, not only did the Bucks open the door for Holiday to join their conference rival in Boston, but it’s hard to say that the move was an overall positive for the franchise at this point on the court. Although Antetokounmpo signed a contract extension with Milwaukee shortly after the deal, the on-court chemistry between the duo was disappointing at best.

In hindsight, one can now wonder what the Bucks would have looked like if they had stuck with Holiday and tried to shake things up in other ways. The team has failed to fill the holes in its roster with its cheap signings (Jae Crowder, Malik Beasley, Robin Lopez) while also relying on aging veterans like Brook Lopez, Khris Middleton , Pat Connaughton and Bobby Portis sets. The Bucks never could have gotten a player like Lillard with this mix of players and their remaining draft resources, but a few minor changes while retaining Holiday could have made this group look a lot more like a contender than this version of Lillard.

Instead, the Bucks not only lost their defensive identity by sending Holiday away, but also opened the door for a potential dynasty to emerge for the Celtics. Will Boston win a title last year without taking Holiday? It’s possible, but it would have been a far more difficult path, at least for Boston. Meanwhile, the Bucks appear to be more of a team poised for another first-round exit than a contender for the second straight season.

A year after the deal, Holiday holds no public grudge against his former team, which completely stunned him with a season-high 21 points last September.

“We beat them twice last year,” Holiday said. “And then I won a championship. So I love them all. They are like my brothers. So no ill will or beef or anything. But I love hitting them, because who doesn’t love hitting other people?”

There’s no reason to be happy about Holiday, and who can blame him given the situation he finds himself in now? He has another title under his belt and one last long-term contract in his 30s. Meanwhile, the Bucks are now heavily committed to Lillard and have no funds left to upgrade their roster. The window of competition could be closing quickly for this aging Bucks roster, and the Holiday decision could be the turning point for both the Bucks and Celtics franchises for a very long time.