Celtics' front office continues to lap the rest of the league after latest triumph

Eight of the Boston Celtics’ top nine rotation players were ruled out of Sunday’s matchup with the Orlando Magic in the hours leading up to tip-off. It came as a surprise to absolutely no one that Boston elected to rest their key guys in a game that was ultimately meaningless to their playoff seeding.

“We were looking at the lineup, and joking in the locker room and when we were coming out for layup lines, looking at each other, like, ‘What do we have, seven people out of here?’” Baylor Scheierman explained postgame.

After Scheierman, Luka Garza, Ron Harper Jr., Max Shulga, and Jordan Walsh were announced in the starting lineup, Garza reminded his teammates of the work they’d done to prepare themselves for this opportunity -- an opportunity many have spent the season longing for.

“Luka said it before the game,” Harper Jr. shared.” When we huddled up, ‘This is for all the times that we on the bench, all the times we want an opportunity.’ You know, we had a chance to go out there and show it.”

They did just that. As Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and the rest of Boston’s regulars looked on, the stay-ready crew brought it against a Magic team fighting for the opportunity to avoid the Play-In Tournament, or at the very least, earn home court in the 7 vs. 8 game.

“I just feel like we all went out there with the utmost confidence,” Harper Jr. added. “All the guys sitting out had a lot of confidence in us, and at the end of the day, we just went out and executed. And that was the most important thing.”

The Celtics’ confidence never wavered. Even when they trailed by as 11 points in the first quarter, where they shot just 26% from the field and struggled to get downhill, they just kept playing. Harper Jr.’s 12 first-quarter points (27 total) kept the Cs in it at that point.

Orlando kept Boston at arm’s length throughout the first half, but the energy shifted after the break. The Celtics outscored the Magic 42-20 in the third quarter behind some hot three-point shooting and stifling defense.

Scheierman, in particular, caught fire for 14 of his 30 points in the frame, including four increasingly ridiculous three-pointers.

The Stay-Ready Group was rewarded for staying ready

Even as fatigue set in for a group of guys who aren’t used to playing 35+ minutes, they were able to hold off the Magic’s late-game comeback effort. A catch-and-shoot triple for Garza’s 27th point of the evening wound up being the dagger as he, his teammates, and the TD Garden crowd celebrated the improbable result.

“Honestly, one thing I can say today was just a lot of fun,” Scheierman said of sharing the moment with others who, like him, had to earn every minute that came their way this season. “...It was just a lot of fun once the game started going, we started making plays, and guys were just feeding off of each other. Like I said, it was just a lot of fun and a lot of joy on the court.”

Scheierman’s role has fluctuated throughout the season, but he’s solidified himself as a rotation piece and answered many of the questions about his fit after his rookie season.

Garza seems to have found a role after spending the first four years of his pro career searching for one in Detroit and Minnesota.

Harper Jr., who’s bounced around on two-ways and exhibit-10 deals, just earned his first standard NBA contract.

Each man, along with the five others who suited up for the Celtics on Sunday, has grinded his way to where he is now.

“It was really rewarding, you know,” Harper Jr. said. “Just for everybody that was involved, the eight players that played, just being able to go out there and get a win against a full roster, against a team that's pretty good, that's had some success this year, you know, it's important. And it builds confidence, and instills confidence in guys. So whatever the rest of the season looks like, we're gonna take that and run with it.”

Sunday was a reminder of, not only the dedication that each of these players has shown to their craft, but the confidence throughout the organization in each and every one of them.

It’s simply all about winning.

“We got a great group of guys and a locker room that really just cares about winning at the end of the day,” Scheierman praised. “We understand that individual success will come if we have team success. And that's really what we're going for.”