Don't let the standings fool you, the Celtics still aren't a great team, says Brad Stevens kind of

Not impressed

Ok maybe he didn't quite put it that harshly, but there is a lot of overblown excitement around these parts. It's time for the wet blanket of reality to cover us all.

Stevens on Celtics moving up in standings: "We're 8-12. It's not like we're lighting the world on fire here."
— Baxter Holmes (@BaxterHolmes) December 4, 2013

The Celtics have been doing great. Relatively great.

They have just as many wins as the two preseason Atlantic Division favorites (Nets, Knicks) combined. That doesn't mean that 8 is an impressive number of wins. There are only two teams in the Eastern Conference that have a winning record, and the Celtics still aren't one of them, division leader or not.

I'm starting to believe Jared Sullinger when he says the team isn't tanking, but I don't think they're contending either. This team is definitely rebuilding though and the season is as much about developing their younger pieces as it is winning games.

Brad Stevens doesn't care about leading the Atlantic because all of the other teams are bad too, instead he cares more about improving as a team.

MassLive.com

“It has no bearing on my life. Literally none. … It has nothing to do with your preparation on your next opponent, it has nothing to do with getting better tomorrow, it just has what’s happened. So yeah, I know. But I have no reason to know.”

So, while yes, fans can celebrate that the team is now in lead for the Atlantic. Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Photo via: BleacherReport