What people on the outside looking in don't understand -- is the mental toughness of this team. They possess and unbelievable compete level! This Celtics team closes out games now. That's a huge improvement over last year. Our overall athleticism and length is also vastly underrated. But it's a big part of why we are the #1 defense in the league.
In the showdown of #1 offense vs #1 defense, the #1 defense triumphed. That is almost an anomaly in today's offense-driven NBA. However the Celtics, this year, have consistently topped most of the top 5 defensive categories. And it shows. The Warriors had chances in this game late, but we made their superstars - Durant, Curry etc. look very mortal.
And think about this, yes we expect Kyrie to be clutch down the stretch, which he was. But did anyone expect to see our youngest player, Tatum stepping to the line with 6.7 seconds to go and the game on the line, then very cooly knocking down 2 clutch free throws to effectively ice the game and push the lead to 4? That is very amazing to see! This whole team is just so poised and RELENTLESS when it comes to the end of games.
Because of the WAY that we are pulling off these wins, I really feel this will translate to the playoffs!
Underestimate the Celtics at your own Peril! They do have the #1 defense in the NBA, indisputably, and they ARE the #1 team in the NBA today, although I'm betting a lot of "expert" doubters still remain!
