BOSTON — The Celtics did not hold much back in their showdown with the East-leading Pistons on Monday night. With plenty of rest before and after the matchup (three days) due to the NBA Cup, Joe Mazzulla treated this matchup like a playoff game with his rotation.

Jaylen Brown and Isaiah Stewart got into a scuffle under the rim which led to both players getting technicals after Brown made a fist at him.

The Boston Celtics are sitting third in the Eastern Conference, a position few expected entering a season widely viewed as their bridge year.That strong start has begun to clarify how the front office may approach the NBA Trade Deadline.

Follow along with the best of a five-game night in the NBA, headlined by Cade Cunningham and Jaylen Brown facing off in Pistons-Celtics.

But fast forward to the present, and it is clear that the Celtics are a good team with postseason potential despite those high-profile exits, and Mazzulla is a major part of the reason why given how well he is getting those younger replacements to play this season.

Following his first three-game losing streak in two years, Jaylen Brown reiterated a belief he had stated several times before. This was in late October, after a frustrating road loss to the Detroit Pistons. At 0-3, Brown and the Boston Celtics were in an unfamiliar situation. He still wanted to give his young team time.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst ruled out the possibility of the Boston Celtics, or the NBA's 28 other teams, extracting big man Ivica Zubac from the Los Angeles Clipper

After all, the Celtics are in the early stages of a retooling process. Joe Mazzulla is coaching a roster full of unproven talent, fighting to prove they belong in the league. Interestingly, all three of Boston's young forwards,