After trudging through most of the first quarter of the season at a pedestrian 10-10, the Celtics acknowledged they weren’t playing up to their potential.
“Last year, teams when they came in and played the Celtics, they knew they were in for a fight,” Marcus Smart told reporters. “This year, teams can’t wait to play us and that’s a problem.”
Whether the message resonated or the Celtics simply coincidentally started playing better basketball is up for debate, but there’s no question this team has hit its stride of late.
Suddenly, after wins over the New Orleans Pelicans, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, and Pelicans again, the Celtics are 16-10 as of Wednesday morning and sit just 4.