Celtics 'Know We Can Play With The Best'
BOSTON (CBS) – When the NBA season began in late December, the Boston Celtics were written off as a team that was too old to compete for a championship, or even make a postseason run.
But after Sunday's 91-72 win over the Miami Heat, along with the Celtics and their 15-5 record since the All-Star break, those pundits are starting to second guess themselves.
The Celtics never had any doubt though.
"We know we can play with the best. I think as of late, we're starting to really come together at this point in the season knowing that the playoffs are right around the corner," said Captain Paul Pierce after his 23 points, seven rebound performance on Sunday. "We're hitting our stride at the right time since the All-Star break. Coming down the stretch there are a lot of big games. This is a huge week for us with a lot of contending teams. It's a good time to see where we're at and how we measure up with the best heading into the playoffs."
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"As far as morale and confidence, we don't lack that around here," center Kevin Garnett, who chipped in with 10 points and eight rebounds against the Heat on Sunday. "We're a great team; our positions and personnel. It's all about our system and you know your role in the system. You do what you're told in your role, you carry out your role 100% wholeheartedly, and that's your contribution to the team."
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"We're still trying to figure out this rebound thing, but for the most part defensively we're helping each other and we're active," added Garnett. "Doc's system is a very solidified system. It's not very complicated but it does call for you to give all that you have. From that standpoint, if you're a hard worker and you're a player that likes to work hard and play hard then you can fit in, otherwise you won't make it."
"What I'm happy about is our resilience and our fight; knowing that we are missing a lot of key pieces due to injury, this team just continues to find ways through all the adversity," said Pierce.
The Celtics currently sit at 30-22 on the season, good for the four-seed in the Eastern Conference, and hold a one-game lead over the Philadelphia 76ers in the Atlantic Division.
