All-Star Weekend was loads of fun. The regular season resumes Thursday.
The Celtics so far this season haven’t stood out in a mix of good Eastern conference teams who as a group are a level or so below the East-leading Milwaukee Bucks.
Boston certainly has the ability to rise up. All-Star guard Kemba Walker says it’s time. Here’s the Boston Herald reporting:
“It’s time to lock in even more,” said Walker as he paused amidst the work gear. “It’s time to get to … well, we’re going to get to the playoffs. It’s time to get there though and really just focus in. We’ve got to lock in. It’s about that time.”
The Celtics sit at 38-16, third in the Eastern Conference and just a loss-column game behind No. 2 Toronto. They have the fourth-best record in the NBA.
Not bad. But not enough.
“It’s been real, but now it’s definitely, definitely real,” said Walker. “We’ve got, what, 26 games left (28)? It’s go time.”
Earlier in a room with other players, fellow Celtic and fellow All-Star Jayson Tatum had a similar sentiment.
There is very clear reason to believe the Celtics are better than their place in the standings suggests. They’re a top five team in the league in both offense and defense. Add it together and you’d think their record would be better than it is. That’s a nice problem to have. And it bodes well for the final third of the season, and the postseason.
