The Boston Celtics took over the driver's seat in the Eastern Conference on Sunday night after they trampled the Minnesota Timberwolves, 134-112. The Celtics improved to 47-28 to tie the Miami Heat but they own the tiebreaker via a 2-0 record in their head-to-head matchup this season.
The Celtics have truly turned the tide. The team had an abysmal start to the campaign, with first-year coach Ime Udoka struggling to impart an identity to the squad. The revolving door of injured players also didn't help, with Jayson Tatum finding it difficult to carry a heavy load.
But in the weeks leading up to the midseason break, the Celtics found their groove, with Udoka finally injecting his defensive mentality to his wards. For Tatum, the whole whirlwind has been nothing but fruitful, per the report of ESPN.
“It's been a journey. We had to find our identity. Lost some teammates, got some new guys. We've had to battle, but it's been fun. We had some tougher times, but we've benefited from it, and made us better.”
The Celtics are the stingiest team in the NBA, allowing only 103.8 points per game. Even Tatum has shown noticeable improvement on the defensive end. Adding Derrick White in a midseason trade with the San Antonio Spurs has provided an extra spark for the Celtics. With the way things are going, the squad will only get fired up even more to secure the no. 1 spot.
The Celtics will face the Toronto Raptors in the second game of a back-to-back slate this Monday night.
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