The Celtics were far from their best on Monday night against the Pistons. They shot just 40 percent from the field. They lost the turnover battle 14-6. Their second best healthy player shot 1-of-11 from the field. Despite all of those obstacles, the Celtics came within one Jaylen Brown midrange jump shot from stealing a win against the Pistons on the road.
“He got a live catch and a great move by Jaylen,” Joe Mazzulla said of Brown’s final shot attempt. “It’s a shot that he makes and it just didn’t go down. So it was great execution. I’ll take that shot 100 times out of 100.”
That type of mentality was representative of the Celtics attitude after the hard fought 104-103 defeat to the Pistons. Boston dropped the season series to them 3-1 but all of those contests came down to crunch time. The Celtics know they can play with the Pistons after these matchups, just like the rest of the Eastern Conference.
“I mean, it’s the regular season,” Payton Pritchard said of the season series. “We lost to the Knicks last year and we went 4-0. So it doesn’t really matter. You just learn from it and prepare for it.”
There were plenty of positive signs on Monday night that backed up that mentality. Neemias Queta held his own against a physical Pistons frontcourt, finishing with 10 points, 8 rebounds and a season-high 10 free throw attempts. The Celtics collectively dominated the rebounding battle, tallying 14 offensive rebounds in the setback, a stark contrast to getting blundered on the boards by the Pistons in early season matchups.
The worst team in the NBA at getting to the free throw line also took advantage of the Pistons’ physicality on a night shots weren’t falling.
“We took 30 free throws,” Joe Mazzulla said. “I think the first three games we played against them they averaged 30 free throws. I thought our ability to be physical, get into the paint, play with contact and shoot 30 free throws against them, I think that’s where we handled it.”
With the Pistons playing at full strength for this matchup while being well rested, this was as close to a playoff atmosphere as you’ll see in a January game. It was also the biggest test the Celtics have as an opponent until the trade deadline with eight consecutive sub .500 opponents looming.
Boston finished their road trip at 2-2 with the defeat but proved yet again that their stellar play for the past two months is not a fluke. They have not looked overmatched against any team since early November, and the rest of the Eastern Conference playoff teams below them all have warts. The Celtics not only have the ability to add via trade but also have Jayson Tatum waiting in the wings at some point.
The Celtics have looked like legitimate threats to make it out of the Eastern Conference for weeks and Monday’s loss only reaffirmed that reality. Boston’s front office focus now deserves to shift to the present just as much as the future with the trade deadline approaching and the Celtics looking worthy of upgrades.