Celtics' secret to success has come with massive underlying change

The Boston Celtics' surge up the standings coincides with a better job closing out games. What makes that even more impressive is that they're doing so against top competition. Most notably, that includes the two teams above them in the East, the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons.

The NBA defines clutch as the final five minutes of games within five points. The Celtics are 7-7 in those situations this season. That places them in the top eight in the Association.

They started the current campaign 3-6 when contests came down to crunch time. It was the sign of a team acclimating to a new approach at both ends of the floor. They were doing so while learning new roles, shouldering more responsibility, and getting comfortable alongside new teammates.

Celtics surge has coincided with major clutch improvements

That they could consistently remain competitive until the end, no matter the competition, was an encouraging sign of growth. Now, they're clearing that final hurdle. Boston is 4-1 in its last five opportunities to come through in the clutch.

"You've gotta be smart, you've gotta take advantage of certain situations, but I feel like we lost some of those games early in the year, but you learn from them," Payton Pritchard told Hardwood Houdini after Wednesday's practice at the Auerbach Center.

"Learn the mistakes we made. What hurt us? Maybe what shots or what fouls put us in bad positions. So, you just get better from them, and you learn from them, so the next time you're in those positions, you win those games."

Applying the lessons learned from those near victories was one part of the equation that has produced better results at crunch time. Adapting to a new system and new teammates is another.

However, some of it is a product of shooting variance. Quality looks that weren't finding the bottom of the net initially are now tickling the twine. Generating enough of those to win games isn't just a matter of good fortune. Boston has cut down on the crunch-time turnovers, helping it earn more of those shots.

"Clutch is a small sample size, and a lot of variance goes into that. We are taking care of the ball better, which means we are getting shots. At the end of the day, you can't necessarily control if those are going in, but we are doing a better job taking care of the ball in those moments," Joe Mazzulla told Hardwood Houdini.

And from Darius Garland to Duncan Robinson, attacking Jalen Duren on the perimeter, and targeting Jalen Brunson, the Celtics are finding the most vulnerable seals on defense, creating and capitalizing on those mismatches.

"I think our execution has been better from a process standpoint, and those are the things that we have to continue to get better at. But, small sample size. We have to be good in all situations."

While there's always room for growth -- and the return of a superstar -- Boston's improvement across the board is why the Celtics suddenly find themselves tied for the most wins against teams with a .500 record or better and just two games behind the second-seeded Knicks.