The Boston Celtics have experienced a roller coaster of a first half of the season, failing to dominate the Eastern Conference as some expected and battling through their share of bumps on the road. Franchise star Kyrie Irving noted one pivotal point that had his team on the uptrend, a team meeting after a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 21, which marked three straight and dropped them to 18-13 after having tallied eight straight wins prior to the slump.

“We could pinpoint a lot of turning points,” said Irving, according to Jay King of The Athletic. “We just want to build that chemistry first. Just getting with one another (after the Bucks loss), really put everything out there and then move on from that point. At that point, playing against Milwaukee, we weren’t at rock bottom, but we needed to address some shit in this locker room. It’s just good to get stuff out in the air.”

Ever since, the Celtics have gone a steady 7-2, currently on a four-game win streak, yet still stuck in fifth place with much left to do in the second half of the season.

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Boston's disappointing start to the season will take some work to correct, but it is the work the Celtics must be willing to do if they hope to remain atop the East, still a game away from the Philadelphia 76ers and 1.5 games away from the Indiana Pacers for the third spot.

“We’re not on a good team, we’re on a great one,” Irving said. “We have the talent to be great.”

The Celtics have a chance to extend their win streak with three games on the road against conference opponents (Miami, Orlando, Brooklyn) before coming home for a mettle tester against the Toronto Raptors.