As Grant Williams began speaking about Boston’s blowout win over Philadelphia on Saturday and the role he played in it by grabbing a bunch of offensive boards, Jayson Tatum, whose locker resides next to Williams, chimed in, “Get three offensive rebounds and now he’s Dennis Rodman!”
Williams responded, “Hey look … he makes his first All-Star game and he thinks he’s Michael Jordan.”
This is a talented team of Celtics (33-15) players who enjoy taking playful jabs at one another, not taking themselves or their play — good or bad — too seriously.
LIVE stream the Celtics all season and get the latest news and analysis on all of your teams from NBC Sports Boston by downloading the My Teams App.
But in between that 94-by-50 foot basketball court, the Celtics are playing with the kind of focus that has catapulted them to the third-best record in the East thanks to a three-game winning streak, and victories in six of their last seven games.
Boton’s 21-point beatdown of Philly was easy to digest when you consider who the Sixers are in the East pecking order, and the fact that the Celtics came into that game having lost each of their three meetings with Philly this season.
Tonight’s game against Atlanta presents a different kind of challenge for the Celtics, who come in having won four in a row in Atlanta and five straight overall against the Hawks.
Not only has Boston dominated the head-to-head series in recent years, but the present-day Hawks (13-37) are the worst team record-wise in the Eastern Conference, which on paper at least, should make for an even easier go of things for Boston.
But a key to Boston’s strong play of late has been them playing more consistently with more edginess defensively, something that will be an even bigger challenge tonight with Marcus Smart (right thigh contusion) out.
Boston Celtics
Fear of a letdown is certainly something Celtics fans are concerned about for tonight’s game, remembering all too well earlier losses in January to Detroit, Phoenix and New Orleans — teams that have spent most of this season playing below-.500 basketball.
But when it comes to playing bad teams, the Celtics have actually been pretty strong most of this season.
They come into tonight’s game with a solid 23-7 record this season against teams with a record below-.500.
And when it comes to blowout wins, the Celtics are among the most consistent when it comes to laying the heavy hammer down on teams.
Boston has won 14 games by at least 20 points this season.
The only team with more blowout wins under its belt is Milwaukee, owners of the NBA’s best overall record (42-7) which includes 15 victories by 20 or more points.
And in Atlanta, the Celtics find themselves facing a team that has absorbed on-the-court beatdowns more than most in the league this season with 13 losses by at least 20 points; only the New York Knicks (14) have suffered more losses by 20 or more points.
Click here to listen and subscribe to the Celtics Talk Podcast:
Even with all signs pointing towards a big win for the Celtics, a letdown is still possible.
However, the mental makeup of this team makes that highly unlikely.
The “next man up” approach to games has been a season-long mantra for the Celtics, with players in and out of the lineup due to injuries, illnesses and an assortment of short-term setbacks.
Tonight is no exception, with Marcus Smart and Kemba Walker being out.
But the good news for the Celtics is they get back Enes Kanter, who will be available tonight after having missed the previous five games.
Having to lean so heavily on one another with bodies in and out of the mix has created a heightened level of accountability among the Celtics players, the kind of accountability that tends to shine most brightly when core players like Walker and Smart are out for a game.
“We’re a team that truly wants to have success together,” Williams said. “And that’s what separates us from many other teams.”
Don't miss NBC Sports Boston's coverage of Celtics-Hawks, which begins Monday at 6:30 p.m. with Celtics Pregame Live followed by tip-off at 7:30 p.m. You can also stream the game on the MyTeams App.