For the Celtics, being happy might just have been the missing piece


If there is a regular-season corner to be turned, it may have finally happened.

Nothing magical, nothing deep, just getting sick of the negativity and choosing to enjoy their time together seems to have made a noteworthy change in the Boston Celtics, and at least so far, it's been translating into wins, even against the mighty Golden State Warriors.

Will it last?


Frankly, I don't really care anymore. All my expectations for this team have been sandblasted away by reality, leaving only the appreciation of watching basketball, particularly when the uniforms are green and white. I suspect, for the Cs, the season's reached a similar point.


I'm not going to look for solutions, or beg for changes, as the very thing we've been clamoring for -- rotation changes, shorter hooks and quicker timeouts in runs, for example -- are coming from coach Brad Stevens over the last two games, and the players seem like they truly enjoy each other's company for the first time since I can't remember when.

Gordon Hayward looks confident and competitive, even if he's not quite back to form. Marcus Smart's spending large chunks of his birthday interacting with fans on social media in a decidedly ebullient manner, and Kyrie Irving doesn't really care what the media thinks, nor is he losing any sleep about trying to demonstrate leadership, at least compared to weeks past.


Aron Baynes is back on the court, baiting Boogie Cousins into techs and uniting the team with his selflessness while Jaylen Brown's locking down the league's most deadly shooters and ball-handlers consistently -- even Marcus Morris is showing signs of breaking out of his recent shooting funk, while diving  for loose balls like the other half of the Marci.

Whether or not this lasts may be key to how deep Boston can hope to go in the postseason, and when I say "this", I'm not talking about winning; I'm talking about doing something you love with people you care about, which tends to get you to the same place in the long run, at least in this game.


I believe they can, and rather than wring my hands about whether they've "turned a corner", I'm going to sit back and watch some enjoyable Celtics basketball until there's none left to watch. I hope that attitude turns out well for all of us.



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Image: Rocky Widner/NBAE; video: Boston Celtics, Tomasz Kordylewski
Follow Justin at @justinquinnn
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