Celtics' 'gap year' is already over before the haters could even enjoy it

Wednesday marked the second time this season that the Boston Celtics have broken an opponent’s double-digit winning streak. Back in November, they prevented the Detroit Pistons from setting a franchise record for consecutive wins. Now, they just curbed the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 12-game burner.

November’s win hinted to fans that there may be something real to cheer for in this "gap year." Wednesday’s confirmed it, and the haters have to be sick.

Sure, the Celtics have played exciting, winning basketball for months now. But until this point, they’d struggled quite a bit against other top teams. Two weeks ago, they dropped consecutive close games against the San Antonio Spurs and the Thunder. Heading into the rematch with OKC, Boston had won just eight of 21 matchups with the other nine best squads in the league.

There were plenty of viable reasons to feel optimistic, even with the worst record in meetings with their peers. Plenty of those losses have been close. But losses are losses. To make matters worse, that record worsened to 4-8 when narrowing the competition to solely the elites (top three teams in each conference).

The Cs needed a win over one of the big dogs and they got it.

“That was a well-needed win,” Jaylen Brown told reporters postgame. “I really wanted that win that was well needed, that we needed that as well. We know we could play with anybody, but when you get a win on your home floor against, you know, the team that has the best record in the league, now it feels good.”

Both teams were at full strength, aside from Celtics center Nikola Vucevic who remained out with a broken right ring finger, and both had stretches that reminded you exactly why they’re seen as contenders. 

Oklahoma City jumped out to an early 13-point lead thanks to their ability to capitalize on some rough shooting by Boston. The Cs didn’t let it bother them, though. It didn’t matter that the reigning champs were in control early on while the hosts couldn’t buy a basket.

“We just had to weather the storm,” Brown explained. “We just didn't make shots. In the first quarter, I felt like we got wide open looks. Sam [Hauser] got, what, five or six wide open threes? Those are usually bottom of the net. He didn't make them, so we just encouraged him to keep playing.”

Though the looks weren’t falling, the Celtics didn’t let it shake them. They stuck to their process and it eventually paid the usual dividends.

“We felt like offensively, we were doing what we needed to do,” Brown continued. “It was putting a little pressure on our defense to start because we weren't making shots. But once our shots started going, you know, the game kind of evened up.”

It sure did.

The Jays led from the top

Boston battled back behind a strong stretch from Jayson Tatum and turned the double-digit deficit into a three-point lead in the closing moments of the first half. Tatum, now in his ninth game back from injury, logged eight points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals in the second quarter alone, and looked like the player he’s been for the Celtics in years past.

“I felt like that was a great, encouraging game for JT, like high level intensity, physical team,” Brown praised. “It felt like that was a step in the right direction.”

The Celtics carried the momentum over into the second half, where Brown scored 24 of his 31 points on an efficient 6-7 from the field and 12-14 from the free-throw line.

“We got him in a bonus, we owned our space, and then once we got him in a bonus, was able to take advantage of the game, but we got a bunch of open looks all night long.”

He and the Celtics didn’t let the Thunder bully them. They fought back, forced the issue, and rose to OKC’s level of physicality, which has been an issue at times this season.

Boston needed the gargantuan effort from JB, as he and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander each put together high-level performances. Brown finished with 31 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists, while SGA logged 33 points, eight assists, and two rebounds.

It was a reminder that the Celtics are capable of going star-for-star with anybody. Gilgeous-Alexander seems primed for an MVP repeat season, and Brown just outlasted him in a duel.

Boston's depth is real

The production stems far beyond the stars, too.

Boston got good minutes from Payton Pritchard (14 points) and Baylor Scheierman (11 points and five rebounds) off the bench. Both men impacted winning. Pritchard drilled massive shots in the second half. Not only were they important, but they came from a distance.

Just take a look at how far from the basket he is here.

That’s not just for show. The Thunder had to worry about him out there.

As for Scheierman, he gave a bit of everything.

“I thought Baylor was great in his shot making,” Joe Mazzulla pointed out. “He was great defensively on his matchups, just so he's a guy that just makes plays… So when [our supporting players] are able to be playmakers for us on the defensive end of the floor and make an impact offensively, it gives us a boost as a team.”

The final buzzer sounded. TD Garden cheered. The Celtics secured an 11-point win over the defending NBA Champions.

“It feels great,” Brown said. “You know, this team has just been awesome all year. It's been a very fun season, but our guys have really developed from, you know, maybe not, trying to find their footing in this league, trying to find a rhythm, trying to find their confidence to really compete against some of the best teams in the league.”

They have stars. Those stars have chemistry. They have depth. They’ve now shown that they can not only compete with the best, but they can beat them. Yet, the Celtics aren’t satisfied. There’s still work left to be done, according to Brown.

“It's a step to build in the right direction. Obviously, there’s still gonna be some ups and downs. We’re still working some kinks out and getting our flow. [We still have 10 games left], and we need each one of those to build and to get ready for the playoffs. But I think today was a very, very huge step for us, and I'm proud of our guys.”