Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11), head coach Joe Mazzulla and guard Jaylen Brown (7) converse during a fourth-quarter timeout in a 125-105 victory over the Cavaliers.
Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11), head coach Joe Mazzulla and guard Jaylen Brown (7) converse during a fourth-quarter timeout in a 125-105 victory over the Cavaliers.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
What makes this Celtics team intriguing, although they’re not the most talented team in the NBA, is their depth and potential. Their roster is loaded with players looking to prove themselves, from Jaylen Brown seeking more respect for being an All-Star to Josh Minott determined to prove he’s a reliable rotation player.
And there are going to be nights this season when the depth and talent flourish together, and they overwhelm perhaps a better opponent and are able to stave off a late rally and pull away.
Wednesday’s 125-105 win over the Eastern Conference elite Cleveland Cavaliers was satisfying because it shows the Celtics’ training camp philosophy of playing relentless defense, speeding up the opponent and making extra efforts is slowly coming to fruition.
On paper, this Celtics team doesn’t compare to those of the recent past, but honestly, this edition is playing consistently harder than their predecessors because they have to. With Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Jrue Holiday, the Celtics had enough talent sometimes to skate by and win games they shouldn’t, against teams that executed better and played harder.
This crew has no such luxury. They have to play harder than their opponents. They have to rebound. They have to play with physicality. They have to hit open shots.
Eight Celtics scored in double figures during this impressive victory. Jaylen Brown led the way with 30 and Sam Hauser had 21, hitting on seven 3-pointers. But the key was a combined 27 rebounds from Josh Minott and Neemias Queta, two players entering this season with a definitive agenda to prove their worth in the NBA.
“I think the guys have made a commitment to [playing hard],” sad Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla. “When you have a group of guys and the training camp that we have, there’s an identity we have to play to and a full understanding of what that identity is. It’s a credit to the guys, a commitment that it takes every single night on both ends that this is the way we have to play.”
The Cavaliers came into TD Garden having won three straight since losing their opener against the Knicks in New York. Besides missing point guard Darius Garland, the Cavaliers had a sizzling first quarter with 13 of 19 made shots. But the Cavaliers were 22 for 68 over the next three quarters. After lighting it up in the first quarter, going 4 for 4 from 3-point range for 12 points, Celtics nemesis Donovan Mitchell didn’t score for the final 34:36. The Cavaliers made six of their last 39 attempts from the 3-point line.
It’s early, but the Celtics are second in the NBA in points allowed next to the undefeated San Antonio Spurs and eighth in scoring differential, despite losing their first three games. The Celtics’ first three losses were marred by costly bad stretches of basketball. But the past two wins have been highlighted by consistent efforts as the Celtics develop their personality.
“We have to leverage our strengths and we’re starting to see what those strengths are,” Mazzulla said. “It’s a credit to them for buying in and doing it. Five games in, and we’ve got 77 left and we’ve got to do it every night.”
Every night won’t go as smoothly as this one, but the Celtics are definitely beginning to show their potential as a team that can compete with any team in the Eastern Conference. Barring a porous second period last Friday night against the Knicks, the Celtics they could have easily escaped New York with a win.
A difficult early schedule has been a necessary test, and notching consecutive wins is evidence Mazzulla’s adjustments have been effective.
“I think from Game 1 to now we’ve seen multiples of like the best version of what we can become,” Mazzulla said. “Now it’s a product of can we continue to build and develop more of that. But there’s a lot of minutes over the last two or three games where we’ve had this is who we have to be. Just getting 11, 12 guys to play the way we need to play on both ends of the floor, we’ll continue to grow as a team.”
The process is just beginning. The Celtics fully expect to be a more cohesive and more precise team in January than now. But with Mazzulla putting this group through a rigorous training camp, it’s heartening for them to see their work result in more than moral victories.
On opening night, the Celtics were close to earning a victory over the 76ers but fell apart in the final minutes.
On Wednesday, the Cavaliers clawed back to cut a 19-point deficit to 9 with 9:46 left but instead of folding, trying to burn clock or making rushed decisions, the Celtics maintained their poise and ended the game on a 22-11 run.
It was a definite sign of progress and an encouraging sign that the Celtics can at least compete with the league’s elite if they play the right way.
“I’m definitely seeing us building in the right direction,” Brown said. “Sometimes it results in wins, sometimes it results in losses but as long as we continue to develop and get better, that’s the most important thing right now.
“Sometimes you’ve got to do it through experience, you can’t expect a bunch of new guys to come in and expect to know how to win. But we’re going to learn. We’re going to build.”
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.