Most around NBA circles wondered when a come-out-of-nowhere 16-game win streak for the Boston Celtics would end. It took place from the strangest storyline, losing their star signing Gordon Hayward in the opening minutes of the season-opener, losing that game and the next — then slowly piling up a win after the other, most recently surviving by the skin of their teeth, racking up W's with a flair for the dramatic.

Head coach Brad Stevens had warned that while his team showed the right poise to come out on top every night, the Celtics faced woes that needed to be fixed in order to put themselves in contention for a title. A loss to the struggling Miami Heat on Wednesday put an end to their long run, still atop the league in the standings, but with much more to look ahead.

“I told you we weren't as good as the 16-game win streak. But we do have a lot of resolve,” said Stevens, according to Mike Petraglia of CelticsBlog. “We have to get better. Looking at that 16 straight, it was a little bit of a mirage.”

The Celtics will address those woes tonight against another wounded team in the Orlando Magic, who have lost six straight — also looking to get their monkey off their back and come up with a win, just as the Heat did days ago.