After losing five straight games going into the All-Star break last weekend, the Celtics have since won three in a row, putting them a game over .500 with a record of 18-17. That’s definitely not a mark we’ve come to expect from the C’s in recent years. Even still, Mickael Pietrus is confident enough in his team that he’s guaranteeing a championship.
“I know that you guys say we’re older and all that stuff. We’re going to win the championship, OK?” Pietrus said after Boston’s win over the Nets Friday night.
Check out this video of Pietrus’ bold prediction that WEEI.com passed along. The guarantee comes around the 48-second mark.
“I think the chemistry has been building since we played in OKC, even though we lost,” Pietrus added. “We fought a lot. I think the chemistry has started coming back, and we don’t want to let that go. Hopefully we’re going to keep it for the postseason and the playoffs — and win a championship.”
Pietrus is a known jokester, so who knows how serious he was with his remarks. But they do reflect a growing confidence the Celtics might have, even with all the Rajon Rondo trade hullabaloo reportedly going on behind the scenes.
The Celtics are currently seventh in the East’s standings, and it’s tough to see them getting through the likes of the Bulls and Heat come playoff time. In fact, if the postseason started Saturday, the Celtics would face the Heat in the first round.
But all it takes is getting hot at the right moment. In 1999 — the last time there was a lockout-shortened season — the Knicks made it to the Finals as an eighth seed. At least the Celtics have history in their corner.
