The Celtics Got Their Swagger Back

The Celtics got a big win over the Raptors last night, and looked like the team we’re use to seeing

It doesn’t matter if the Toronto Raptors were missing Kyle Lowry last night, it was a huge win for the Boston Celtics nonetheless. The Celtics had lost all three previous meetings against the division-leading Raptors leading up to last night. Getting swept by any team is never good, especially when it’s a possible playoff matchup.

Boston was coming in on a little hot streak, winning their last two games, however, both of those games were against two of the worst teams in the East. Their previous four games, against playoff-caliber teams, resulted in losses. It goes without saying that a lot of people were questioning Boston following Jae Crowder‘s injury.

The Celtics weren’t just losing games against quality opponents, they were losing without a fight. Losing the heart and soul of your team can do that, although it was clear the initial impact on Boston was catastrophic. It didn’t help that they had to play three straight playoff teams right off the bat.

The Celtics didn’t look the same over that stretch. Their shots weren’t falling, they weren’t playing at the same pace, and they just didn’t look as confident. It was clear that head coach Brad Stevens was still trying to figure out his rotation as Terry Rozier, R.J. Hunter, and James Young all saw playing time. Part of the reason for that was injuries to Jonas Jerebko and Kelly Olynyk, either way, Stevens was looking for a replacement for Crowder.

For a team to work so hard, and surprise everyone all year, to all of a sudden fall off the cliff was tough to watch. Especially considering they fell from the third seed to the sixth seed in just a matter of days. A lot of people will turn to the three injuries towards key rotational players but Boston still didn’t play with the same intensity as they had without Olynyk in the lineup over the previous weeks. They looked like a different team.

Less than a week ago, the Boston Celtics lost to the Raptors by 14 — a game they never were really in. They were getting blown out early and it was the same script as the previous two games they played. They didn’t look confident, their defense was lacking, and there was no offense.

You can give credit to Toronto for their smothering defense, but Boston also just didn’t play well – they didn’t look like themselves. It was their lowest scoring game (91 points) since December 15 against the Cleveland Cavaliers when they only managed to score 77 points. They were also only 14-11 at that point – showing how far they’ve come.

Boston was on a downward spiral that didn’t seem like it was going to end anytime soon, but sometimes getting a couple of easy wins is the only thing it takes to get your head back in the game.

Boston found their swagger on Wednesday night. They out-hustled, out-shot, and played better defense than arguably the best team in the East. The disclaimer is that Toronto didn’t have Kyle Lowry, however, holding Toronto to 79 points in a game is basically unheard of. The only other time this season Toronto failed to reach 80 points was on November 8 when the Miami Heat held them to 76 points.

It wasn’t just the fact that Boston was able to beat a team that’s been giving them trouble all season by 12. Or because they managed to finally get their three-point shot back. It’s not even because they somehow managed to win big despite getting out-rebounded by Toronto. The Celtics simply found their swagger again.

You could tell that they had a chip on their shoulder, specifically against Toronto. They looked as locked in as ever in the second half. They were clearly focused, and it showed by their clutch threes late in the game.

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Isaiah Thomas once again decided to take the game over late in the fourth quarter, followed by a dagger three by Avery Bradley late in the quarter.

Boston was clearly having fun again – I mean, it’s never fun to lose.

Now 42-40, the first winning season under Brad Stevens, and fourth in the Eastern Conference at 42-30, the Celtics look like they can make some noise in the playoffs. They are playing Boston Celtics’ basketball and have a healthy team, minus Crowder.

Their four game losing streak was tough to watch, not because they played poorly but because it didn’t look like the team we have come to love this season. Boston is on a three game winning streak now with the Phoenix Suns up next.

Next: The Celtics Path to the Finals: Cleveland Cavaliers

Playing the type of care-free, free-flowing basketball we saw yesterday is what this Boston team was made to do, and what they’re best at. Continuing to play with this swagger is what got Boston to this point, and is also what will get them home-court advantage in the first round.