As good as the Celtics have been for the last 10 years, there have definitely been some points of frustration. They may seem like nitpicks, but if there has been one consistent complaint, it has been that the team relents when they have big leads and coasts through games, thinking they can turn it on when they need to.
The problem has been that the Celtics were never that team. They hadn’t earned the right to coast, nor had they proved they could quickly rise to a higher level when needed. It led to some frustrating losses and games that felt like Boston just never gave what was needed.
But a recent trend has emerged that indicates that the Celtics may have solved that issue and have evolved into a team that can flip the switch. They did it on Sunday against the Raptors and pulled a repeat performance on Tuesday night against the Hornets.
It was cool to see that Boston has become the big, bad bully on the block, the proven winner that knows exactly what it takes to get the job done. They largely coasted through the first three quarters, trailing the young, pesky, upstart Hornets all night, before going on a 10-0 run in a flash to close the third quarter and take a three-point lead.
Celtics let Raptors and Hornets hang around before stomping their throats in the 4q
Boston kept their foot on the gas and blitzed Charlotte with a 16-7 run to start the fourth, holding the league’s fifth-best offense to just 15 points in the entire frame. The Hornets wanted and needed this game, but when the chips were on the table, the Celtics were the ones who rose to another level and turned their opponents’ water off.
We already know what the Celtics can do when they’re locked in, as we’ve seen them blow teams off the floor all season. But to see them win like this, when they aren’t even fully engaged, or playing great for much of the night, that should really scare teams. That’s the final step for championship teams, and it shows that Boston knows exactly who they are, and they know they can crank it up to the highest level at a moment's notice.
It means that the Celtics are never going to be able to be counted out of games, and it sends a message to their competition that teams are going to have to fight for the entire 48 minutes if they want to put them away. The Raptors weren’t up to it on Sunday, and the Hornets weren’t up to it on Tuesday, and both teams paid the price.
With the Celtics turning into clutch time killers who can flip the switch and rip teams’ hearts out, there may not be much that anyone can do to stop them.