With a 31-10 record, the Celtics have been a surprise as they quickly regrouped following the loss of Gordon Hayward on opening night.
BOSTON – The potential for a special season was certainly there when they reported to training camp in Newport, R.I., last Sept. 26.
Despite having only four returning players from a 53-win team, the Celtics added a pair of All-Stars in Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, and optimism was running high.
But with 10 new players, it figured to take some time to get everyone on the same page, and a bumpy start was not out of the question.
Then came opening night when Hayward suffered a gruesome ankle injury that will probably keep him out for the season.
Add in a demanding schedule with 33 games in November and December, and the potential was there for a not-so-easy time.
Yet here are the Celtics, halfway through their 82-game schedule, sitting atop the Eastern Conference.
They begin the second half of the season tonight, facing the Minnesota Timberwolves at the TD Garden (7:05, TV: ESPN and NBC Sports Boston; radio: WBZ-FM/98.5) with a glittering 31-10 record.
Entering Thursday night, only the NBA champion Golden State Warriors (30-8) had a better winning percentage than the Celtics.
So with 41 games gone and 41 games to go, the Celtics are sitting in a very good spot, a spot no one expected after Hayward’s season abruptly ended on opening night in Cleveland.
They have the franchise’s best first-half record since going 32-9 in the 2010-11 season and have 30 wins at this point for only the fourth time since the 1991-92 season.
Reaching 30 victories in early January might not have been totally shocking with a healthy Hayward, but doing so without him and with a bunched-up schedule has been unexpected.
“I’m surprised, given the circumstances,’’ said Al Horford. “It’s a lot of credit to coach (Brad Stevens) and also our guys for really coming together and making the most of it. We never expected this after Gordon going down. It’s been a good surprise.’’
The Celtics had little time to practice in the first half since they had so many games and just a day off in between games in most cases.
Things will lighten up in the second half. After traveling to Brooklyn Saturday night, the Celtics play just one game (at London against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday) over a nine-day span. They also have an eight-day All-Star Game break.
After opening the season 0-2, the Celtics went on a 16-game winning streak and were 22-4 in early December.
They went through a 5-6 stretch as the busy schedule played a factor but take a four-game winning streak into tonight’s game with the improved Timberwolves.
Any time you win 30 of (41) games, you’ve probably got a lot of good fortune,’’ said Stevens, who canceled practice Thursday due to the storm. “But you’ve got a lot of good things happening.
“I thought getting through that stretch in December was going to be really, really difficult and it was. But I thought being able to rebound after the first two games and find some wins that we probably shouldn’t have won there in the first month and a half boosted us.
“We’re still only halfway home so we need to make sure that we continue to improve.’’
The play of rookie Jayson Tatum and second-year swingman Jaylen Brown has helped the Celtics overcome the loss of Hayward. Irving has been superb and Horford continues to bring versatility.
Tatum, with 579 points, ranks fifth among Celtics rookies through 41 games, trailing only Larry Bird, Dave Cowens, Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker.
The Celtics are on pace for a 62-win season and hold a 21/2-game lead over the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference.
They have wins over the Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and the Raptors, among the leading teams in the NBA.
It has been quite a first-half ride for the Celtics, one few saw coming after the opening-night injury to Hayward.