The Boston Celtics' disappointing season continued on Saturday night with a surprising loss to the Chicago Bulls. Though they started out well, jumping out to a 7-0 lead, the Celtics fell apart after the opening minutes and trailed for much of the night. At one point their deficit reached 25 points, and they went on to lose by a score of 126-116.

However, despite another bad loss, Kyrie Irving was defiant after the game. There was no doom and gloom from Irving on this night, no complaints about media coverage. Instead, Irving once again reaffirmed his belief that the Celtics are still the best team in the Eastern Conference. Because, as he put it, "I'm here."

"I don't get frustrated about this stuff anymore," Irving added. "It's just part of the regular season. In the playoffs, when you can plan for a team, prepare for a team, I still don't see anybody beating us in seven games."

This is a bold declaration by Irving, but there is merit in his belief. Though they've often come out flat against some of the league's lesser competition, the Celtics are 7-4 against the East's top four teams this season, showing they're more than capable of competing with the conference's best. And in addition to Irving, one of the best players in the East, they have an extremely talented roster. 

None of that is any guarantee that they'll flip the switch and make a deep run, but it wouldn't exactly be a shock if they're able to do just that.