The 16 best moments from the Celtics’ 16-game winning streak

The Celtics won 16 games in a row before their 104-98 loss to the Heat on Wednesday snapped their unimaginable early season run.

Boston’s winning streak embodied everything the Celtics are as a team. It was tough. It was gritty. It was resilient and it just wouldn’t go away. And, at one point, it felt as if it would have no end.

The streak may be over, but the memories and moments the Celtics created won’t go away anytime soon. From them bouncing back from Gordon Hayward’s tragic injury to Kyrie Irving putting on highlight shows in crunch time, Boston was loads of fun to watch. To commemorate the streak, here are the 16 best moments from the C’s 16-game winning streak.

The Celtics broadcasted this message from Hayward on their jumbotron in the TD Garden and the crowd erupted. It was the first time they’d seen Hayward since his injury and he seemed to be in great spirits. This was truly inspiring.

The streak was just a baby at this point, but this was Celtics’ fans first taste of the pure majesty of Kyrie Irving’s offensive game. He hit the most difficult three-point shot you could think off, missed an easy free throw, but somehow crashed the glass and snuck in for a slick layup. He makes the difficult look too easy.

Hayward returned to the team on Nov. 13 for the first time since his injury and also received a huge cheer from fans here. It might seem like a small moment, but it’s comforting to see that Hayward is recovering just fine.

Can’t forget: the Celtics aren’t all Kyrie. Horford reminded the Raptors of just that.

Welcome to the league, rook.

Kyrie Irving has the greatest handle in the NBA and, maybe, the greatest handle of all-time. Don’t think so? Ask the Lakers.

And you can also ask the Mavericks about his handle, too. I’m sure they’ll have some strong opinions.

Add Malcolm Brogdon to the list. Irving is crazy nice with his dribble.

And Irving also makes shots when they matter the most. Irving scored 47 points in a comeback win over the Mavericks and did most of the work to win the game in the overtime period. Sometimes, there’s just nothing anyone can do to stop him. This was one of those games.

Smart might not be shooting the ball well this season, but he certainly can still pass it. Look at this sweet no-look dish out of the post.

If you still weren’t taking the Celtics seriously before their 92-88 win over the Warriors, this was the moment that changed. They clawed their way back into the game after falling down by 17 and took the lead. They didn’t look back.

A major question mark when the Celtics traded Isaiah Thomas plus the kitchen sink for Irving was his defense. We knew he was capable of playing D when needed. But could he play solid defense consistently over 48 minutes, over 82 games?

So far, the answer has surprisingly been yes. Irving is averaging 1.7 steals per game. The Celtics give up just 98 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor (93.9 with him off of it). Boston is now the NBA’s top defense after ranking No. 12 at the end of last season.

Brown was a huge part of that Warriors win with 22 points and lots of activity on the defensive end. From the jump he showed us he wasn’t scared of the Warriors. To prove it, he locked down Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant in the first quarter.

The day after his best friend died in Atlanta, Brown led Boston’s third quarter comeback in their win over the defending NBA champions.

It often takes time for most rookies to settle into NBA life. If we’ve learned anything through Boston’s early run, it’s that Tatum isn’t just any rookie. The Duke product is special, he’s versatile, and he’s packed with gobs of offensive talent.

And to think the Celtics got him at pick No. 3.

Irving suffered a fractured orbital bone via his own teammate’s elbow. But that didn’t keep him off the court. It only made him more stylish on it.

The Celtics’ winning streak may have come to an end, but they have the best record in the NBA, and at 16-3, they’re far and away the best team in the East. Winning 16 straight is nothing to sneeze at. They’re the first team in league history to win that many consecutive games after losing their first two to start the season.

And once a team rattles off so many wins, there’s no telling how many smaller streaks they can pull off over the course of the season.