There was a lot of uncertainty headed into this season for the Boston Celtics, but they're really beginning to find their footing. This team was hard to watch just a few short weeks ago, but now they're beginning to put a lot of the pieces together. The part that should scare the rest of the league most is that they're executing in clutch time and winning close games.
The Celtics have turned what looked like a shaky "gap year" ride into something that almost feels playoff-ready again. Over the last five games, the Celtics have shown they can close out tough games even when nothing is going smoothly. For a team feeling like it lacked cohesion just weeks ago, that’s a massive shift.
Take the win over the Knicks on Tuesday for example. Down the stretch, New York closed a big gap and made things tight. But instead of crumbling, Boston dug deep. Jaylen Brown dropped a season-high 42 points, but it wasn’t just his scoring that sealed the game. Derrick White added 22, with seven of those points coming in the final four minutes with everything on the line.
The Celtics have been dominating clutch situations
Being able to get things done at the end of a close contest, as we know, is a mark of a strong competitor. And this win over the Knicks was just the latest example. Take a look at how they closed out the 15-2 Pistons just a few nights earlier. Boston used both defense and offensive poise to protect a sliver of a lead, and they executed very well down the stretch. It was one of those games that felt like a playoff atmosphere in late November.
This team's rotation has held together surprisingly well. Even with injuries and a shortened bench, the Celtics have leaned on smart defensive chemistry and timely execution. And it's not just a case of one or two guys stepping up, but a collective commitment to the standards of the team and what it takes to produce winning basketball.
We're talking about the kind of growth that doesn’t always show up in the box score but becomes obvious the more you watch a team. The Celtics aren’t just surviving late-game moments, they’re putting their stamp on them. Every rotation and defensive scramble feels more connected than it did a month ago.
When a team starts trusting itself in tight spots, everything else tends to fall into place. Boston is beginning to show that, and if this continues, the rest of the East is going to have a real problem, especially once Jayson Tatum comes back.