In what was looking to be one of the biggest blowouts in the NBA so far this season, the Boston Celtics fell just short of completing a huge 31-point comeback against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night.

The Mavericks couldn't miss in the first-half against the Celtics, as they shot over 70 percent from 3-point range and over 70 percent from the field overall. At the end of the half, Celtics found themselves down by 26 points, and were trailing by as many as 31 points.

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A 31-point deficit may discourage most teams into discontinuing to fight back while hoping the game hurries up and finishes, but that wasn't the case for the Celtics in Dallas Monday night.

Defensive intensity from the Celtics in the backcourt with top-tier perimeter defenders including Avery Bradley and rookie Marcus Smart sparked a great comeback. Celtics came out in the second-half on fire, outscoring the Mavericks 38-24 in the third quarter.

Celtics played with the sense of urgency and aggressiveness that coach Brad Stevens has been trying to implant in his players' heads. Stevens wants this young group to capitalize on its athleticism in a high-flying fast-transition type of basketball instead of relying on a half-court offense.

Just how effective that type of basketball can be for the Celtics was evident against the Mavericks, one of the best teams in the league, as they came back from being down 31 points to being from within just one point late in the fourth quarter with a chance to pull off the major upset.

The Celtics may have still lost the game, but their ability to continue fighting while scoring 72 points in a half against the Mavericks are leading many to speculate that this team could be better than had been expected.

The opening game of the season for the Celtics was another example of their fast-paced transition type basketball, as they scored over 100 points before entering the fourth quarter against the Brooklyn Nets. The last time that happened was in January 2009 with star player including Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

According to analysts within the Celtics organization, if Boston can just keep that aggressiveness and capitalize on their athleticism all four quarters - like they've shown against the Nets and partially shown against the Mavericks - it's not out of the realm of possibility that this Celtics tram makes the NBA playoffs in the weak Eastern Conference. 

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