As they arrived at TD Garden on Thursday, the Celtics appeared to be in a no-win situation.

They have a chance to beat the Pistons. What is the point? The top club in the NBA should beat a squad that arrived on a 27-game losing run. What if they lost? To say the least, that would be embarrassing.

Joe Mazzulla, on the other hand, was not amused. After the Celtics nearly avoided the unfathomable by overcoming a 21-point hole early in the game and winning in overtime to send the Pistons to their 28th consecutive loss, the coach denied that this was a game he just wanted to get over with or that he had nothing to gain from.

“Why do we have nothing to gain from winning a basketball game?” Mazzulla replied. “We probably learned more from that game than we did from the four games we played on the West Coast trip.” This is an opportunity to develop a toughness and mindset. So, to me, it appears that we have everything to gain from this, and when you mention the In-Season Tournament creating something, how about the degree of tension, pressure, and anxiety that you felt in that arena today?

“Like I said, we learned a lot from tonight’s game.” It struck me as a fantastic opportunity. We mentioned at halftime that we have an opportunity to establish toughness, a mindset.”

Before Thursday’s game, Mazzulla underlined to the Celtics that they cannot have expectations for how a game will go. From the outside, it appeared to be a simple game. A piece of cake. But not everything is as it appears. The Pistons had been playing hard and losing close games despite their record. The C’s were returning home after a lengthy road trip, which is always challenging. Given the opponent, Mazzulla expected the Pistons to play with even greater desperation and intensity.

The Celtics continued to struggle in the first half, as they lacked energy and effort. But it’s all part of developing the mindset and toughness that Mazzulla desires. He accepted the challenge and the extraordinary conditions.

“I’m not worried about what happened in the first half,” Mazzulla explained.” That will happen from time to time. I’m more concerned with how we react to it. It tells more about our team’s character how we handled the second half than how we handled the first. We’re not going to play flawless basketball all of the time, so that expectation is simply not there.”

Mazzulla saw the contest as just another crucial lesson for the Celtics. Another example to demonstrate how they can’t expect a game to go a certain way and continue to play with the same consistent mindset regardless of the conditions.

“I think if you manage your expectations, it allows for you to execute and play with a free mind, and that’s what I told the guys before shootaround,” Mazzulla said in an interview. “I was like, ‘You can’t have any expectations for how this game is going to play, because we just have to be ready to adapt and do whatever it takes to win the game.’

“I expected this to be one of the hardest games of the year, and I like just how our guys responded to it.”