Celtics hitting their stride at right time, here's how they turned around their season

The Celtics were a hot mess.

For the majority of the season, this team was floating through mediocrity. A team destined with championship aspirations quickly became a teetering team in the l-eastern conference. But then April came and like an Easter resurrection so were the Celtics who are now one of the hottest teams in the NBA.

In their last matchup, the Celtics outlasted another epic performance from Steph Curry, who dropped 47 points, to win their six straight games behind Jayson Tatum’s 44 points. They are now 8-1 in April and are tied for the fourth seed with the Atlanta Hawks. And this is without the services of their trade acquisition Evan Fournier who will play a big role in their future success. This team that had the media questioning coach Brad Stevens and whether he should be fired has turned their play around, overcoming double-digit deficits that they earlier in the season would’ve fell to. How are they doing it?

Coaching Adjustments

The Celtics energy on the court is much different than in the past month. They are effectively playing defense better as a unit which you have to look to Brad Stevens for that. He was put on the hot seat for their bad play and rightfully so. It almost looked as if he lost the voice of the locker room but that has turned around in April. They are giving up their best opponent field goal percentage of the season this month while also rebounding better as a team. Offensively, with the Celtics trading away Daniel Theis, they went to a one-big lineup that produces better spacing on the floor for the two All-Stars in Tatum and Brown to operate. Not to mention they’ve been getting great play from the three-big man rotation in Williams, Thompson, and Timelord.

Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart

The Celtics have been getting great play from their two pivotal guards in Walker and Smart. Smart missed 19 games due to his injury early in the season but now has bounced back playing his best ball, also his shooting percentages have gone up, most importantly from three. He went from shooting 36 percent to 43 percent now in April. Walker’s impact has been pivotal for this run that the Celtics are on, being that veteran playmaker for the team. After finally getting through his nagging injury, he has become a better facilitator for the team while dropping his usage which means he’s being effective with the ball and a great decision-maker. When these two players are giving their best hoop while Tatum and Brown are holding their weight, it makes this team hard to beat.

Jayson Tatum

Tatum told the media it’s hard for him to breathe after dealing with COVID and still the media pushed the still very young superstar to be everything for the Celtics. Well, he has delivered, incredibly I might add. As mention, he put on a 44-point performance in which the Celtics needed to fend off the surging Warriors without the services of his teammate Brown. In the last 10 games, Tatum has averaged 29 points, while also being a part of the 50-40-90 club in shooting percentages. Early in the season after coming back from COVID, he had struggled in the fourth quarter where the team often needed him to be his best self due to being fatigued. Now in April, he has looked healthier and better rested to finish in clutch times as he has been doing during this win streak.

This was a team that had made the Eastern Conference last season so they are not a team to overlook. Though they are young and I believe people forget that when it comes to the core in Tatum and Brown, they are battle-tested in the playoffs. Tatum and Brown has been fantastic this season and are one of the top duos in the NBA. This can be a dangerous team if they are playing their best ball on both sides with Tatum again taking another step in his development as a superstar in the league.

Celtics look to continue their win streak tonight against the Zach LaVine-less Bulls. Stay tuned for more news.