Are These the Celtics We’ve Been Waiting For?

The Celtics completed the sweep of the Indian Pacers and did it in grand style.

That obviously leads to the question, is this what we've been waiting for since this team was put together a couple seasons ago? Obviously, Gordon Hayward missed the entire season last year. Kyrie Irving missed the playoffs. The Celtics were just about five minutes from a trip to the NBA Finals without those guys.

Entering this season it was easy to assume this team would fly through the NBA season on cruise control and were a lock for a title run. That didn't happen. They struggled out of the gate and the Celtics never showed that they should be considered the true favorite in the East. There were some disagreements and issues in the locker room. It didn't look great.

Then the playoffs happened.

Kyrie looks more like the star we were hoping to see. We already knew he could dazzle with the dribble. We already knew he could put up points with the best of them. The question was, could he lead? Could he make his teammates better and carry them?

So far, so good. Kyrie has put up numbers not just in the scoring column, but he's dishing out assists, too. He's getting everyone involved and he's even putting in work on defense, which he was never known for.

Gordon looks healthy and is going to be one hell of a matchup problem for teams coming off the bench if he keeps it up.

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have returned and look more like the guys we saw carrying this team last year.

And of course, Al Horford is as solid as ever in the paint. "Playoff Al" is here and staying steady.

THIS looks like the team we've been waiting for. They look like they're together and hungry. They're playing like a team and that's a scary thing for the rest of the league.