When the Celtics traded for Kyrie Irving, things changed for the Celtics and all of sudden they looked like a team that could really compete with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference.

They got off to such a fast start, even with the injury to Gordon Hayward, and with the Cavaliers struggles, the buzz even got louder around this team.

But they have fallen back to the pack as of late, and although they have a 40-18 record and sit 0.5 games back of the Toronto Raptors some people, including their coach, don't think they are as good at this point of the season as their record says.

Scott Souza of GateHouse Media reports:

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Celtics Brad Stevens: I've said all along that I don't think we're quite as good as our record. And I think we have to get a lot better. I still feel that way. After a tough week, sometimes it makes you take even more of a hard look at it.

The Celtics are only 2-2 in their last four games, but they aren't looking as dominant as they did earlier in the season. They have had a lot of close games that they have had to close out late.

They also got a huge wake-up call in their last game. It was Paul Pierce number retirement day in Boston, but LeBron James and the Cavaliers stole the show.

The Celtics didn't look like they had any energy on the defensive end of the floor, and that led to a 121-99 defeat. Will that be the wake-up call this team needed? Or will they continue to struggle and fall farther and farther back into the pack?