The Boston Celtics have been one of the NBA’s most relentless squads this season - not just in terms of wins, but in how they’re earning them. From All-Star Jaylen Brown to deep-rotation guys like Xavier Tillman Sr., this team is showing up with effort that jumps off the screen.
It’s not always pretty, and it’s not always smooth, but it’s been consistently tough. And that grit was on full display in their recent win over the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center.
Early on, it looked like Boston might be sleepwalking through one of those midseason trap games - the kind that sneak up on even the league’s best. But instead of folding, the Celtics dug in. They turned a sluggish start into a hard-fought win, the kind of game that says more about a team’s identity than any blowout ever could.
So what’s fueling this edge? Jaylen Brown offered a window into the team’s mindset, and it starts well before tip-off.
“I think it just started from before the season,” Brown said postgame. “We just set a precedent, just set a tone for what we want Celtic basketball to be.”
That tone? Simple: Play hard.
No exceptions. No matter your spot on the depth chart, the standard is the same.
“There wasn’t an excuse for any of our guys - not me or for anyone - top to bottom,” Brown continued. “If you’re not playing hard, if you’re not doing what you’re supposed to be doing, you’re not putting in effort, then you don’t need to be out on the floor.”
That’s not just talk. It’s something you can see in the way Boston rotates on defense, the way they crash the boards, the way they scrap for loose balls. This isn’t just a team playing to win - it’s a team playing with purpose.
And in a city like Boston, that kind of effort matters. Brown knows it.
“I think the fans respect that more than anything,” he said. “The X’s and O’s will be the X’s and O’s - make or miss shots. But your effort, playing hard, defending, and things like that, that’s stuff that I think the city of Boston represents.”
He's not wrong. Boston fans have seen championship teams and rebuilds alike, but the one thing that always resonates is effort.
It’s why this year’s Celtics squad is connecting with the city in a big way. They’re not just winning - they’re winning the right way.
And if they keep bringing this level of intensity, night in and night out, they’re going to be a problem for anyone come playoff time.