The Boston Celtics might be turning the corner on their underwhelming season thus far, especially when you consider last night's record-setting performance against the Chicago Bulls. Last time I reported on the Celtics they were stuck at 10-10, with Brad Stevens showing himself to be unresistant for maybe the first time as an NBA coaching. But since then, they've gone 5-0 after clinching the dub in dramatic fashion. The final scoreline of 133-77 against the rebuilding Bulls franchise eclipsed the 51-point margin the 1962' Celtics achieved against the Philadelphia Warriors half-a-century ago.
Unfortunately for the Chicago Bulls, the 56-point loss was also a franchise mark, but for all the wrong reasons. The 56 deficit eclipsed a franchise-low (127-74) suffered at the hands of the hands of the 2001' Minnesota Timberwolves. The loss gives Jim Boylen, the new Bulls bench boss, plenty to contemplate with his roster back to full-health (with Lauri Markkanen's return). "Disappointing effort, disappointing outcome after what I thought was a really hard-fought two games and at home last night," Boylen said post-game. "Got to give Boston credit -- I thought they made the shots."
With the win, the Celtics improve to 15-10, good enough for 5th place in the Eastern Conference standings right below the Indian Pacers. Not to mention, coach Stevens seemed to be in good spirits when he ran into reporters last night. "The offense has gotten better over the last couple of weeks," he said, before turning the focus back on his team's encirclable issues. "We just have to keep building on it."
The Celtics face the Pelicans tomorrow, while the Bulls face The Sacramento Kings away from home.
