This Celtics’ core has a track record of flipping the switch in critical situations.
After opening last season with a sluggish 18-21 start, Boston turned things around and rode that second-half surge all the way to the NBA Finals.
But this season, after opening the 2022-23 campaign with a 21-5 record, Boston has regressed with a 25-15 showing since mid-December.
Granted, 10 games over .500 is still a solid mark. But the C’s have seen their foothold atop the Eastern Conference slip.
After dropping four of its last five games, Boston sits two games behind the first-place Bucks in the conference.