Celtics Dream Big, Pritchard: “We Want the Top Spot”
Boston climbs to second place in the Eastern Conference by beating the Bulls. Pritchard sends a message to the Pistons, the current leaders in the East
Boston Celtics are surprising everyone. On Monday night, they defeated the Chicago Bulls 115-101 and, for the first time this season, jumped past the Knicks to move into second place in the Eastern Conference. Still, Payton Pritchard’s reaction was anything but over the top.
Are we even 40 games into the season yet?
Payton Pritchard
The Celtics guard asked, almost surprised to be talking about the standings at all. The season hasn’t even reached its midpoint, yet Joe Mazzulla’s team has become one of the league’s biggest talking points: 23 wins and 12 losses, eight victories in their last nine games – and all of it without star Jayson Tatum, still sidelined with injury.
It’s a source of pride for a franchise that, during the offseason, was forced to reconsider its direction after its superstar’s Achilles injury, and that has found, among many positives, a true leader in Jaylen Brown.
There’s still a lot of season left. Are we proud to be second? We’ll be even prouder when we get to first place.
Payton Pritchard
While keeping his tone measured, Pritchard also sends a message up the standings, looking toward the Detroit Pistons in first place (27-9), and reminding everyone how quickly things can change. And he’s right: at this stage of the year, the numbers are intriguing but not definitive. Still, Boston has shown clear signs – the third-best net rating in the league, behind only the Thunder and Rockets.
Pritchard also knows how challenging road games can be. The win over the Bulls came after a long trip and a time zone shift to deal with.
In recent years we haven’t been very good in those situations, but you have to get past the mental fatigue and find a way to win.
Payton Pritchard
In short, the Celtics are learning how to win even when everything seems stacked against them. They’re playing well, keeping their heads down, and moving like a real team. The season is long and the story is far from written – but Boston has already made one thing clear: it’s not here to make up the numbers.