The Boston Celtics enter their Friday matchup against the Atlanta Hawks on a seven-game winning streak, and Celtics star point guard Kyrie Irving knows exactly why the team is starting to play good basketball.

When Boston started the season 10-10, many were wondering what was wrong with them. Experts picked the Celtics to win the Eastern Conference this season since they were a game away from reaching the NBA Finals last year and LeBron James is now in the Western Conference.

Kyrie Irving, who has been on a tear lately, says it all comes down to having fun again:

“Fun,” Irving said, via Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY Sports. “Just having fun. That’s really all it comes down (to).”

Why weren’t they having fun?

“Just weren’t. It happens,” Irving said. “New group. New environment. New things to figure out. Expectations you have for what you want to be and how you want to win. We expected things to come easy. That’s being part of team environment. Even the best teams had to go through trials of figuring out what they look like every day.”

The Celtics are 17-10 on the season, fifth place in the East. Kyrie Irving, who underwent two knee procedures last season, is back playing at an All-Star level. The 26-year-old is averaging 22.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game while shooting 48.2 percent from the field, 39.1 percent from beyond the arc and 82.9 percent from the free-throw line.