The narrative of an NBA season is rarely a straight line. It is a chaotic, unpredictable of statement wins and humbling losses. For a team with championship aspirations like the Boston Celtics, the true test wasn't just winning the big games; it was navigating the emotional turbulence of the inevitable blowouts—both for and against them.
The euphoria of the last-second win in Golden State was a palpable force on the flight home. The plane buzzed with energy, the players reliving the final sequence, the music thumping a little louder. But Brad Stevens, ever the pragmatist, knew the danger of a emotional hangover. Their next game was a mere forty hours later against the Detroit Pistons, the worst team in the league, a classic trap game.
**Game 71: Boston Celtics vs. Detroit Pistons**
The TD Garden was packed, but the energy was complacent, more like a pre-season exhibition than a late-season clash. The Pistons, a young team playing for pride and lottery balls, had nothing to lose.
