Celtics News: Team Feeling Growth During New Stretch Of Consistency

The Boston Celtics have won three of their last four games, and that has brought them within two games of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Now that the team has gone a few weeks without any trades being made, the players are saying they've progressed as a unit.

"We're getting better. We're learning," forward Jae Crowder said. "From the coaching staff to the players, we're trying to play basketball the right way. That's what's gotten us these past few wins."

"We're starting to jell as a team now and we're starting to play for one another," guard Marcus Thornton echoed. "And that's a good thing."

Head coach Brad Stevens was impressed with the way his team responded when they saw their big lead dwindle against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night, and discussed Boston's string of success in close games.

"I thought we responded really well. I mean, we went right back up to 15 and that's hard to do, especially when things just aren't going your direction," he said. "Knock on wood because this can change. Sometimes it's just dependent on what game you're playing and whether the ball bounces in or not. But we've been good in those moments really (for) the most part of the month. And we had a little bit of an adjustment obviously after (Rajon) Rondo was traded and Jeff (Green) was traded. But in close games, or we've had to come back in a couple of these games, and I feel like for the most part it's been a positive in the last eight minutes of games. So that's encouraging from where we started the year."

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