BOSTON — Brad Stevens didn’t know the Boston Celtics would find themselves among the NBA’s top teams in the last week of the regular season.

The Celtics’ president of basketball operations also never discounted the possibility before the season, despite every reason those outside of the team’s facility parroted why it would be a bridge year following Jayson Tatum’s ruptured Achilles tendon injury, and the offseason departures of Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford.

Yet the Celtics are a win away from clinching the No. 2 seed in the East after beating Charlotte on Tuesday night and are legitimate NBA title contenders.

That doesn’t mean Stevens is ready to make any predictions. Far from it. He’s content following the same one-day-at-a-time mantra that has driven his entire basketball life, from the coaching sidelines and now in the front office.

“I feel the exact same as I did at the beginning, I really feel that way normally,” Stevens said. “When we get into the playoffs, it will be the same thing. It’s one game at a time. I don’t think in terms of the big picture as far as this individual team. I just think, I know that we can play.”

He’s also watched the remaining players that constitute his once-underestimated roster find individual new gears that contributed to their collective success.

With Tatum out to start the season, Jaylen Brown seized on the opportunity to be the No. 1 option and leader, taking his game to new levels on offense and defense. It’s added up to him achieving career-high averages in points (28.7), rebounds (7.0) and assists (5.2).

It’s also gained him entry into a crowded MVP conversation. More than that, since Tatum’s return March 6, Brown’s play has taken some pressure off Tatum as he worked his way back into form. The same is true for defensive stalwart Derrick White.

The result has been a successful return for Tatum, whose comfort and confidence have grown over the past month. He has scored 20 or more points in six straight games.

“I’ve seen us rise and meet challenges, and I know this team is looking forward to the next one,” Stevens said. “As you get into this time of the year and get into the playoffs, everything’s hard and the other teams are really good. See where it all stacks up, but I’m going to continue to not put a ceiling on us.”

As is his style, Stevens has stayed mostly in the background, with Tuesday marking his first comments with reporters since Tatum’s return. He said the team never truly entertained the thought of Tatum returning this season until around the trade deadline.

“He was in a pretty good spot physically and from the standpoint of his strength,” Stevens said. “And then it’s just a matter of reconditioning and getting your confidence back in a lot of ways, and playing and getting back on the court.”

What’s also been clear to Stevens is he has a coach in Joe Mazzulla, who with his staff are putting this team in the best position to achieve. While Brown has been the biggest catalyst to how this team has overachieved, the improvement of players such as Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Neemias Queta, Jordan Walsh and rotation addition Baylor Scheierman has also helped.

Queta in particular went from a fourth-string center at one point earlier in his career to the starter this year for the Celtics, one of the most improved players in the league and among its top performing big men.

It’s garnered Mazzulla high consideration for coach of the year, praise he repeatedly eschewed while deferring to his players and assistants.

Stevens, who surprisingly elevated him to the job after Ime Udoka was suspended, said Mazzulla is worthy of all the compliments.

“They all, players, coaches and everybody else that are up for all these awards, whether they want them or not, they certainly all deserve it,” Stevens said.