MINNEAPOLIS – Two games past the All-Star break and we have seen both the best and worst of the Celtics.
When they are not engaged as a collective unit at both ends of the floor, you get games like the 111-93 thumping on Friday night in Utah.
But when they are locked in mentally, share the ball and play selfless for most of the game, they deliver dominant performances which we saw in the 121-101 beating of the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.
It will take a similar approach and ability to execute tonight against Minnesota if the Celtics will in fact build off the success of the win over the Nuggets. The Celtics (33-24) come into tonight’s game having won 11 of their last 14 games overall.
They are playing well right now, but the Target Center has not been kind to the Green Team in recent years.
Third-year coach Brad Stevens has never won in this building, which is part of Boston’s three-game road losing streak to the Timberwolves.
Still, streaks of the past mean little to the Celtics, who are doing their part to establish themselves as one of the elite teams in the Eastern Conference.
Boston was anything but that when these two met earlier this season on Dec. 21, a game the Celtics won, 113-99.
At that time, the victory ended a three-game losing skid, in addition to improving Boston’s record to 15-13, which was good enough for the 10th-best record in the East.
Boston’s fortunes have changed significantly since then.
If the playoffs were today, Boston would be the third seed.
And make no mistake about it.
The mindset among players now isn’t whether they will make the playoffs, but whether they can secure home-court advantage through at least the first round.
The outlook isn’t quite as rosy for the Timberwolves (17-39), who aren’t realistically thinking playoffs. Instead, their success is measured in the continued growth and progress of their young core which consists of reigning rookie of the year Andrew Wiggins, potential rookie of the year this season Karl-Anthony Towns and two-time slam dunk champion Zach LaVine.
“They’re a very young, talented team that plays with a lot of energy,” said Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas. “So we have to come out and be aggressive on the defensive end and take it from there.”
Jared Sullinger added, “We have to come ready to play. We pride ourselves on back-to-backs. We want to be the best at that. We’ll be ready to go.”