This is a very tempting time for the Celtics.
The team is 12-9 … 12-6 since their 0-3 start … and currently sitting in sixth in the East. They have won four of their last five, with wins over the top seed, who came in on a 13-game winning streak, the third seed, who came in on a four-game winning streak, and a team many picked to go to the NBA Finals.
They're not like me, getting fat on cupcakes in December. The Celtics’ seven wins over teams .500 or better is second only to the Pistons, who have eight. The Celtics are one of only nine teams in the league to play 14 or more games against teams above .500, and they're the only one without a losing record (they’re 7-7).
Things are good for the Celtics, and there's a real temptation to think they’ll get better. Jaylen Brown is fully realizing his powers as the top option, but we still haven't seen the best out of Payton Pritchard and Derrick White on a nightly basis. Meanwhile, Neemias Queta is surprisingly good, Jordan Walsh is a regular starter who just played the best six minutes of his life to close out the Knicks, and Josh Minott has come off the scrap heap to shoot better than 40% from 3.
If I told you that Minott would have a signature 3-point celebration in December that fans are tossing up at the Garden with him, you’d have thought I was nuts.
And then there are the standings. Boston is ahead of Cleveland, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee right now, and they're 4.5 games away from the first place Pistons, who have now lost three of their last five. The Raptors are in second but no one believes that will last. The Knicks are third but nothing about what we saw from them frightens me at all at the moment. Miami being fourth is like a pitcher mowing down the lineup the first time through … they’ll be figured out soon enough. Orlando is fifth, and Boston has beaten them in two of their three meetings.
Oh, and Jayson Tatum might come back this season.
There are reasons to be optimistic, even though it’s only December 4.
Now we’re in the part of the relationship where we have to figure out where it’s going. The first couple months of this have been surprisingly fun, but where is this going? What are we doing here? Is this just fun, or is it time to make a commitment?
Trade season opens on December 15, which is when most restrictions on trading players lifts. The rumors are already flying with some massive names. Giannis Antetokounmpo has reportedly met with the Bucks to “discuss his future.” The Hawks have looked fine without Trae Young, so how he handles his return could determine if he hits the market. There are rumblings about Ja Morant as well.
There are also teams that might just be due for re-tooling. The Clippers are a disaster at 6-16. The Kings are worse. The Pelicans are even worse than that, and all three of these teams came into the season planning on winning.
What should the Celtics do?