But right now, it's still early April. Perhaps it's best not to get too carried away.
"Sometimes you say, 'Don't take your eye off the prize,'" Ray Allen said Saturday at the Celtics' practice facility in Waltham. "But sometimes, you have to take your eye off of it. Focus on what's in front of you. If you're too much in the mode of looking at what you're trying to accomplish, then you forget about some of the smaller things that you need to individually take care of. You walk one step at a time."
This week, the Celtics have taken a few steps backward. A week ago, they had just won six out of seven games, and they were in the middle of a pivotal homestand with a chance to prove their mettle against some of the NBA's best. They've since lost three straight — a second-half breakdown against San Antonio, a stinging close loss to Oklahoma City, and an overtime heartbreaker Friday night against the Rockets.
They've got just seven games to go, and every one is obviously important. This one matters not just because of its far-reaching implications on the Eastern Conference playoffs, but also just because the Celtics need to right the ship as soon as possible. They're about to hit the road this coming week to face the Knicks and Raptors and they could use a boost Sunday to send them packing on a high note.
"It's important since we've lost three in a row, and it would be great to win a game, and it would be great to beat Cleveland," Doc Rivers said. "But then after the game, it goes back to just being another game. Let's say you beat Cleveland and take steps back against New York and Toronto. Then the Cleveland game becomes unimportant."
As for Cleveland, there isn't quite the same urgency to get back on track. The Cavs have faced their share of adversity of this season, but they're far from derailed — in fact, they've won 11 of their last 12 games and 17 of their last 19. They're already locked into the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, and they're two wins away from eliminating the Lakers in the race for the NBA's best record.
"They're trying to lock up the No. 1 seed throughout all of the playoffs," Paul Pierce said of the Cavaliers. "They've still got motivation. They'll want to have home-court advantage if they make it to the Finals, so I definitely see them going out there and trying to play and trying to win."
Every time these two teams meet, the implications are huge in the Eastern Conference standings. But with the season down to its final two weeks, these things are all starting to crystallize. The Cavs have their sights set on the league's top spot, and the Celtics are zeroed in on taking down Atlanta and earning the conference's No. 3 seed.
Both teams know exactly what they're playing for, and both will be ready.
Easter Sunday is upon us, and with it comes a chance to see if the Celtics can rise from the dead. As for the Cavs, they've already risen to the top. They've just got to hope they can stay there.
