Celtics trust championship core as they seek another NBA title

• This year's team hasn't been as spotless as last year's historic squad, which cruised through the regular season and dominated the playoffs.

State of play: The Celts stand at 37-16 following Saturday night's nationally televised victory against the conference-rival New York Knicks.

• Despite a recent stretch of inconsistent performances, that's good enough for the Eastern Conference's second-best record.

What they're saying: In the words of Celts president Brad Stevens, Thursday's trade deadline was "boring as hell" — by design.

• "We just weren't going to do anything major because at the end of the day, even through our ups and downs over the last six weeks, what gives us our best chance to win?"

Zoom out: Some of the Celtics' rivals made moves to bolster their title chances — including the conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers.

• The Cavs traded for DeAndre Hunter, a big, versatile scorer and defender who could guard Celts' stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown this postseason.
• Meanwhile, a shocking trade shook up the Western Conference, with Luka Dončić — who led Dallas to last year's finals against the Celtics — joining LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Yes, but: The Celtics likely won't miss facing Jimmy Butler in the East playoffs.

• The mercurial star — who bounced Boston from the postseason two years ago — was shipped from the Miami Heat to the West's Golden State Warriors.

Startling stat: The Celtics are only 16-10 at TD Garden, one of the worst home records among the league's top contenders.

• That could be cause for concern after last year's team rode home-court advantage through the playoffs to a world title.

What's next: The Celtics face the Jimmy-less Heat in Miami on Monday, then host San Antonio on Wednesday before the All-Star break.

• Tatum and Brown both made the lineup for this season's All-Star Game, which begins 8:20pm Sunday on TNT.