Champions in the NBA come in different forms.
The Spurs beat you with the basics. The 2008 Celtics did so with their defense. The Warriors leaned heavily on their 3-point shooting. That’s of course an oversimplification, but the point is that there isn’t one foolproof formula for earning a ring.
There is, however, a common mindset that links all champions over the years. Every champion, at every level for that matter, has a killer instinct. The ability and guts to twist the knife in a crumbling opponent is really what separates the elite from the pack.
It’s still the regular season, but it’s clear the Celtics are consistently and methodically developing that killer instinct. That’s a scary thought for the rest of the league, because truthfully, it’s been the one ingredient periodically absent in recent years.
The Celtics lost just one game in February.
The man on the left (9-1) should be Coach of the Month and the man on the right (27.2 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 6.7 APG, 1.1 SPG) should be Player of the Month. pic.twitter.com/iK3QSb890H
— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) February 28, 2024
Yes, this year’s team is also more talented than others in recent years, but it has a chance to be the most relentless since 2008 – which is even more important. The Celtics, winners of nine straight, have a unique knack for turning a deficit into a close game and a close game into a lopsided one.
Think about it for a second. In the past, when an eight-point lead morphed to a four-point deficit, you started to worry. Now, you sit back, watch and enjoy the show.
If a team makes a run to tighten the gap, there’s no panic or uncertainty among the Celtics. They don’t look worried, and they don’t need to be. They simply go on another run, then another if they need to – as many as it takes until the boxer beside them stumbles to the ground.
They could be playing the ‘96 Bulls or the first-half Looney Tunes. They’re there to win.
“This year we’ve done a really good job at staying present,” Jayson Tatum told reporters. “ … We respect every opponent.”
Take Tuesday’s game against the 76ers as an example. Previous Celtics teams may have wilted against a shorthanded team, but not this group. The maturity, poise and execution are all present every night, not just some nights.
Obviously, the Celtics have had that trait in stretches in the past, but it’s disappeared in the most critical moments – against the Warriors in 2022 and the Heat in 2023. Even in other series, like against the Bucks, they’ve made it more complicated than they’ve needed to due to their inconsistency.
“This year we’ve done a really good job at staying present… we respect every opponent.”
Jayson Tatum talks about the Celtics staying focused as they run away with the number 1 seed pic.twitter.com/dXjRN9GuRv
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) February 28, 2024
The beautiful part about sports is that we have zero clue what will happen when the stakes are magnified. From the eye test, though, this team is better equipped to handle that in-game and in-series adversity than others before it. Periodic letups are inevitable, but avoiding sustained letups is critical.
Having Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White nearby makes life so much easier for Tatum and Jaylen Brown. If they’re off on a given night, they don’t feel that weight on their shoulders. Tatum simply becomes a passer, Brown ratchets up the defensive intensity, then one or both of them re-finds their groove and sizzles down the stretch.
“This team has really grown at taking what the defense gives you every single night and quickly getting to what that is and trying to exploit it,” coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters.
Holiday is one of the best stabilizers in the NBA. He plays hard, yes, but he looks so dang relaxed doing it. He’s not going to scream like Marcus Smart, but his body of work speaks for itself. Holiday isn’t the significant other that buys you a flashy bouquet of two-dozen roses on Valentine’s Day and ignores you the rest of the year. He puts sticky notes on the mirror, does the dishes and shows he cares year-round. Small things, every day, that lead to big results and make the defining moments more digestible.
So…with the win tonight and the Nets loss in Orlando, the Celtics (on February 27th) clinched a spot in the play-in tournament.
If they lose their final 24, the Celtics still make it.
Celtics magic numbers…
Playoffs: 11
East #4 seed: 12
East #1 seed: 17
Overall #1: 20— Sean Grande (@SeanGrandePBP) February 28, 2024
I’m honestly still not sure how Brad Stevens pulled off getting Porzingis on the Celtics. I legitimately don’t think there’s a better big to pair alongside Brown and Tatum. I mean, maybe Nikola Jokic, but it’s a short list. Porzingis helps Tatum and Brown settle into the game, and alleviates some of that pressure, which makes them more potent in the clutch.
The bench has also done its job and then some. On CelticsBlog, Al Horford, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet aren’t slept on; elsewhere, they are. To those who are still sleeping, open your eyes. Those four have been tremendous.
It doesn’t matter who’s out there. Just when the other team thinks it’s finally made a dent, the Celtics respond with a tsunami to snatch the momentum back. That’s what the best of the best do.
It’s only early March, but they look like a team ready to carry that firepower and ferocity all the way to a title.