The Boston Celtics have dramatically surpassed expectations this season, going 47-24 and holding the second seed in the Eastern Conference for most of the year.
However, one area where they keep falling short is against good teams, whom they've had trouble beating all season.
Entering play on Monday, six NBA teams have at least 46 wins this year, including the Celtics. Against the other five, they're just 4-8.
Granted, Boston has not had Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum available for the entire game against any of those teams, so that's largely why. Still, it's a concerning trend nevertheless.
Coming off a brutal loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Celtics have a chance to change that narrative when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder at TD Garden on Wednesday.
Boston just lost to them in OKC two weeks ago, but Tatum and Derrick White didn't play. Even without them, the Celtics led for much of the game before faltering in the fourth quarter, losing by two.
Boston will get a chance to avenge that loss at home this week and send a message in this potential NBA Finals preview. If the Celtics win, they'll prove that they can beat the best teams in the league and deserve to be considered legitimate title contenders.
But if they lose again, the noise is only going to get louder.
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