At times last season, the Celtics did not show up against inferior opponents. They came into games assuming they would roll over the competition, sometimes when they were without their stars. That lack of focus showed at points in the playoffs.
But the Celtics arrived to training camp with a changed mindset. They have proven this season that they aren’t overlooking anybody, and they have continued to show that deep into March – even when there is almost nothing left for them to play for before the playoffs.
For a second consecutive night, the Celtics took care of business against the basement of the NBA. A night after they mopped the Wizards in the nation’s capital, the Celtics ran away from the Pistons with a 119-94 victory at TD Garden.
Derrick White secured his first career triple-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, Jaylen Brown scored 31 points, while Payton Pritchard added 23 and Kristaps Porzingis had 20 as the Celtics grabbed their sixth consecutive win. With a 54-14 record, they are a season-high 40 games above .500, and they have done so by taking business against teams they should. They improved to 26-1 against teams below .500 this season, a significant improvement from last season’s 24-10 mark.