Celtics' Losses to Hawks Shouldn't Have You (Too) Worried

It's been a brutal week down in Atlanta for the Boston Celtics.

After blowing a 30-point lead in a 120-118 loss to the Hawks on Monday night, Boston suffered a 123-122 overtime setback on Thursday in the rematch, a game that featured a stunning 41 lead changes.

Monday's performance was especially embarrassing, and Thursday didn't provide the sense of relief that Celtics fans were looking for.

But things may not be as bad as they look.

In case you hadn't heard, Boston is an NBA-best 57-16 heading into Saturday's meeting with the New Orleans Pelicans. The Celtics have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, allowing head coach Joe Mazzulla to toy around with matchups, seeing what works and what doesn't.

Let's not ignore the fact that coughing up a 30-point advantage is inexcusable, no matter what experimental game plan is getting thrown out there. However, if Boston is going to watch a lead like that drift away, better to have it happen now than in a do-or-die scenario in the playoffs.

The Celtics have the luxury of using their final nine games of the regular season as tune-ups for the postseason, and that's likely going to translate to a couple more losses than this team is accustomed to. And, for now, that's OK.

What's most important is that Boston heads into the playoffs on a high note, and it should be able to do so with its final two games against the Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards. Before that, the Celtics will be challenged with potential postseason previews, as they face the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks -- two teams that could collide with Boston later this spring.

Frustrated with this team at the moment? We get it. But if flushing out the bad habits now is what it takes to hoist Banner 18 up into the rafters, it'll all be worth it in the long run.

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