Have the Boston Celtics finally turned things around after a frustrating first half of the season?
They've now won five of their last six games after Wednesday night's big win over the Charlotte Hornets. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have looked like the All-Star tandem they were expected to be, with two games of 30+ points apiece during that span. Marcus Smart has been exceptional as a playmaker since returning to the lineup and Robert Williams has been a revelation.
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Now that there's some optimism surrounding the team, which currently sits at 28-25, what's its ceiling for the season? Celtics radio play-by-play announcer Sean Grande joined Chris Forsberg on a new episode of the Celtics Talk Podcast to discuss the road ahead.
Celtics Talk Podcast: Is it safe to get excited about the surging Celtics? | Listen & subscribe | Watch on YouTube
"I think it's still going to be tough," Grande said. "Because Cleveland is unbelievable. They just won't fade. Are one of those six spots going to be available? I'd rather be seven and go into a play-in with a potential favorable matchup with the No. 2 seed than -- you don't have any earthly idea who's going to finish where. I'm not bullish on Chicago, I never was because they don't defend. I'm not bullish on Charlotte because they don't defend. ...
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"Would you rather be a team that's been lucky to be three games over .500, or would you rather be a team horribly unlucky to be three games over .500 and have more of the upside and have Tatum and Brown to go to and Smart quarterbacking it in a potential playoff series? I think it's fair to say nobody's going to expect the Celtics to make a deep run, but we're getting to the point where if you're one of the big-shot teams -- Brooklyn, Milwaukee -- you don't want Boston. You don't want to deal with them."
Also in the new episode: Is it time to get excited about this Celtics team? How has Ime Udoka done so far? Will we see anything big happen at the trade deadline? And how impressive is Robert Williams' growth this year?
Check out the latest episode of the Celtics Talk Podcast on your favorite podcast app or watch it on YouTube below.