The Celtics sweep consecutive games against the Cavaliers: 5 conclusions

 The Celtics sweep consecutive games against the Cavaliers: 5 conclusions.

  Here are the conclusions.

  1. The Celtics also started well last year, but this has been an impressive stretch. After losing in the season tournament, they have won three in a row. Their best players have top-level talent. The actors are overqualified. The bench has been rounded very well. They have the second-best net rating in the NBA and a 1.5-game lead in the Eastern Conference standings at 18-5.

  The Celtics also got off to a good start last year and hit a lot of roadblocks, so a lot can change quickly. Still, they have looked better this season: cohesive, composed and experienced.

  "I've emphasized that we shouldn't skip any steps this year," Jaylen Brown said after Thursday's game. “Success is achieved every day, which means that on every shoot, on every film session, every time we are together, we must be aware of what is happening and the mission as a whole.

  “I think our mentality has been a lot better in that sense this season than last, simply because sometimes the season can get a little mundane. Things become routine, they become monotonous. “I want to make sure we stay locked down as much as possible.”

  2. Jayson Tatum scored only 15 points to start the fourth quarter, but he scored 12 in the final 12 minutes and grabbed six of his 11 rebounds. He sandwiched the fourth with a two and a three to start, then delivered a pair of game-sealing dunks in the final two minutes.

  "I just try to find moments, find opportunities to be aggressive and try to pick my spots the best way I can," Tatum said.

  3. The Celtics are now 12-0, which is their best start at TD Garden since the 2007-08 season.

  Joe Mazzulla pointed out that the home field is not everything.

  "You have to think: two years we reached the final without the advantage of playing at home, last year we didn't go," he said.

  But Tatum said the Celtics have lost some disappointing home games in recent years, which is a trend he wants to change.

  "I'm just trying to go back to my early years, when we were just electric at home, and we have been until now," he said. "Tomorrow will be a good test for us."

  4. Jaylen Brown finished with 22 points and hit a pair of tough jumpers, including a pair over Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen outside the post.

  "After the game is definitely something that allows me to be my true self," Brown said. “I love playing in the post. It's a part of my game that I haven't highlighted as much over the years because the analytics disappeared. But we emphasized it again this year and you will see more and more of me try to take advantage of those matchups.”

  The Celtics are crushing teams in the post: According to the NBA statistics site, Tatum is scoring 1.30 points per possession (95th percentile), and Kristaps Porzingis is scoring a staggering 1.48 points per possession ( 99th percentile), while Brown is scoring a respectable 1.07 points per possession (67th percentile). Analytics no longer move away from the post, at least for the Celtics.

  5. Despite Mazzulla's protests on Tuesday that assists are a misleading statistic, we should note that Brown recorded five of them after dishing out four in each of the Celtics' last two games.