As fans made their way to the exits with 9:35 left on the clock and the starters headed to the bench, a 24-point deficit wiped out any memory of the Celtics’ four-game win streak and their recent efforts to overcome eight weeks of inconsistent play.
It was another letdown, this time falling 127-120 to the Dallas Mavericks as double-digit favorites at home. Despite being shorthanded, the Mavericks, missing newcomers Anthony Davis (abdominal strain), Caleb Martin (right hip strain), as well as P.J. Washington Jr. (personal reasons), Dereck Lively II (right ankle stress fracture), and Dwight Powell (right hip strain), led for all but 28 seconds—when the Celtics briefly held a 1-0 lead after the opening possession.
The loss dropped the Celtics to 16-10 at TD Garden this season — their first double-digit home loss season since the 2021-22 season. They are 7-8 in their last 15 home games.
As fans filed out, they were likely left wondering what more the Celtics—who made a midgame move by signing Torrey Craig—could have done to bolster their roster before Thursday’s trade deadline, especially after losing to a team that had just pulled off one of the most surprising trades in NBA history.
Logistically, their options were limited due to the league’s second apron under the new CBA, though much of it was intentional.
“You certainly feel limited,” President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens said on trying to improve the team while facing restrictions. “But I didn’t really care as much at this trade deadline because we were planning on limiting ourselves because we like our team.”
Seven months ago, as green and white confetti still drifted through the streets of Boston, Stevens sat at the dais in the Auerbach Center and declared that this team had earned the right to run it back and defend their NBA championship.
When he addressed the media after the deadline on Thursday, it was clear that he still has full confidence in them.
If you’ve followed the chatter surrounding this team, you might think Stevens had lost his mind. Many see the Celtics as a team full of questions, but the architect behind this squad has a different perspective, leading to a quiet deadline while other executives scrambled for answers.
“In our situation with our team this year, today was boring as hell. It was just like, no, there’s nothing. There wasn’t going to be anything going on. The phones didn’t ring,” Stevens said with a chuckle. “We just weren’t going to do anything major because at the end of the day, even through our ups and downs over the last six weeks, like, what gives us our best chance of having a chance to win? And that is this group playing a little bit more like itself more of the time. So I’m encouraged by where we’re headed with that, and I never really wavered in our belief in that. But, you know, ride the ups and downs like the rest of the rest of the fans and everybody else sometimes.”
Some people feel the highs and lows more intensely than others. Yet, no one’s denying that the Celtics need to play better. Just two weeks ago, this team went through a 12-10 stretch over seven weeks and a 10-10 stretch across 20 games—nearly 25% of the season.
“I mean, we have to play better, and there are several reasons why we probably haven’t, but we believe in this group,” Stevens said. “We’re capable, and we’re capable on both ends of the court. Listen, it’s a long year. We have played late, and we hope to play late. We know that nothing’s given. But the reality is we also know there will be ups and downs, and we can’t ride those. We just have to, okay, we’re not playing as well; how do we fix it? What do we need to do differently? I think all of our answers we can do internally. We’re in good shape.”
This group has given Stevens every reason to believe. Even as they’ve been coasting on and off for nearly 30 games now (it’s been 29 games since the Memphis loss that started the rut—over 50% of the season), they still hold the league’s third-best record and are the only team in the top five in offensive (118.6), defensive (110.0), and net (8.6) ratings this season.
“We haven’t been perfect. We can get beat by anyone. But when we play really well, we can beat anybody,” said Stevens. “So, the question is, will we build the habits necessary like any other season to start the peak at the right time and give ourselves a chance? This team’s capable of that. But so is a lot of our competition. And so I don’t want to take away from that.”
With the postseason fast approaching, the Celtics are locked in on the opportunity ahead, undeterred by the regular season's struggles. A tough road lies ahead, but their focus remains as they chase what's within reach.
“You have to be cognizant of your opportunities right now, right? We can’t miss this moment,” Stevens said. “We have a good team. I don’t know if we’ll end up being the last team standing or not, but we can at least be in the mix, or at least one of the teams that’s probably in the mix. Like I’ve said before, we could get beat in the first round, or we could be standing at the end. Who knows, but that’s how good the competition is. But we’re in good shape.”
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