Celtics 'Chasing Something Bigger' Than First Place
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Celtics are in sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference, a spot in the standings the team hasn't enjoyed since 2011.
While first place is nice and all, it's not really what the Celtics are shooting for this season.
"Nobody has even brought it up," Isaiah Thomas told reporters after Tuesday's practice. "We're chasing something bigger than that. It's cool to have, but there is still a lot of time left in the season and a lot can happen."
A lot can certainly happen between now and the regular-season finale on April 12, but the Celtics have a favorable schedule to finish as the No. 1 seed in the East. Five of their final eight games at home, and four of those games are against opponents with a record under .500. All they have to do is take care of business on their end, and they'll probably finish the season with seven other Eastern Conference playoff teams looking up at them.
"Every team in the NBA should want to be the best team in the NBA. We're showing that we can be if we're playing the right way, if we're playing the right kind of basketball," said guard Avery Bradley. "That's an accomplishment to be the first team in the East. We understand that. But at the same time we understand we could lose it tomorrow."
But teams don't hang banners for where they finish in the regular season, and this Celtics squad is eager to win their first postseason series under head coach Brad Stevens after failing to get out of the first round in each of the last two seasons. Stevens himself admits that first place in the conference "doesn't mean a whole lot right now," and says the team's focus is on getting better every time they hit the floor.
"Ultimately, we have been able to grow and get a little bit better," Stevens told reporters on Tuesday. "I still think we can play a lot better and that's where my focus is."
There's a unique recipe responsible for the Celtics' climb to the top of the Eastern Conference: one part their own success, with victories in eight of their last 10 games, and the other part is the struggles of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have dropped two straight and are just 5-5 in their last 10 contests. The sputtering Cavs are focusing more on their health as the regular season winds down, rather than setting sights on home court advantage throughout the postseason.
Thomas knows the Cavaliers remain a powerhouse, even with their current injury concerns.
"They've been struggling for whatever reason but it's still an NBA-championship-caliber team. They're defending champions, so it goes through them until someone eliminates them," Thomas said of the Cavaliers, who visit the TD Garden on April 5. "I don't think you can be too worried about the things that they're struggling with right now. They're a really good team. Sooner or later they'll probably figure it out."
Isaiah Thomas: "We're a group of guys that's been counted out our whole career. We like staying under the radar. That's just who we are."
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 28, 2017
Rather than worry about things the team cannot control, the Celtics are going to focus on becoming the best team they can be when the postseason rolls around.
"We want to let the teams know now that if they face us in the playoffs it's no mercy," said Bradley. "We can scare a lot of teams if we're playing the right way."