Their three wins were blowouts over Detroit, Washington and Chicago. The Pistons and Bulls are fringe playoff teams at best in a watered-down Eastern Conference, and the Wizards are the worst team in the NBA. At 22-8, the Celtics now sit closer to the third-place New York Knicks than to the East-leading 26-4 Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Boston Celtics did not deal with much adversity during their run to the championship last season, especially in the regular season. Despite a similar start this season (Boston was 24-6 through 30 games last year and is 22-8 this season),

It’s been a disappointing stretch, but effort is one of the easiest fixes, especially for a team that prides itself on it. If anything, Wednesday’s loss might just be the wake-up call the Celtics needed—like last season’s home loss to the Lakers.