WALTHAM, Mass. -- "Right here," said a smiling Jae Crowder, pointing to a spot on the baseline beneath one of the hoops at the Boston Celtics' practice facility. It's the spot that, a little more than two years ago, an incandescent Crowder confronted head coach Brad Stevens and demanded to know whether the team that he had recently joined was committed to winning or content to continue losing games.

The Celtics were in the midst of a roster overhaul, having only the month before dealt All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo to the Dallas Mavericks for a package that included Crowder and draft picks, the latter seen as more valuable than the former at the time. But having lost 12 of their first 15 games since Crowder joined the active roster and sitting with a 13-26 record overall, an impassioned Crowder wanted to know exactly what the long-term plan was.

"I'll never forget that moment," said Crowder, who heard exactly what he needed to hear when Stevens adamantly suggested that winning was the only thing that mattered to him.

"That’s all it's about with me: winning," Crowder said. "It’s all a desire to win -- to win the next game, to win the next practice, to win the next day. My college coach [Buzz Williams at Marquette] did a great job of breaking down my focus by days. I just wanted to win that day, not worry about tomorrow, not worry about the last day, just win that day. An emphasis to have a great day, a successful day, and don’t let anything bother you.

"So when I talked to Brad about winning and losing, I felt like the energy in the whole gym was OK with losing at the time. That didn’t sit well with me. I didn’t want to be a part of anything like that. I didn’t want to be part of a tanking team. I just wanted to win and just work to be a good team."

The arrival of Isaiah Thomas the following month ultimately may have been the key to Boston's improbable surge to a playoff berth that season. But it's fair to wonder if the Celtics would have been as aggressive in pursuing Thomas if not for the change in mentality that occurred after Crowder implored that Celtics team to embrace winning.

The Celtics are 117-75 (.609 winning percentage) since Crowder's confab with Stevens. This season, Boston sits second in the Eastern Conference at 42-25 and is simultaneously trying to fend off the Washington Wizards while wondering if it can make a charge at the Cleveland Cavaliers and the No. 1 seed.

Not surprisingly, it's Crowder who is most adamant that the Celtics can secure whatever seed they put their mind to.

When the Celtics landed in Los Angeles earlier this month at the start of their five-game West Coast road trip, Stevens sat down with ESPN's Rachel Nichols to film an interview that aired before the team's national TV matchup Sunday against the Chicago Bulls. Stevens was asked to play Celtics word association and many of his answers were what you might expect for the names tossed his way.

"Tough" for Marcus Smart. "Aggressive" for Avery Bradley. "Sure" for Thomas. "Measured" for president of basketball operations Danny Ainge. But when Crowder's name was invoked, Stevens hesitated briefly and asked if he could offer two words.

"Instills belief," Stevens said.

Since Jae Crowder questioned Brad Stevens about the Celtics' commitment to winning, the team is 117-75 (.609 winning percentage). AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

Any of the adjectives that Stevens used to describe Crowder's teammates probably would have fit just fine for Crowder too. But Stevens' quest to find exactly the right words highlighted how much he values what Crowder means to his team's success.

"I just think that that’s what comes to mind when I think of Jae," Stevens said. "I think Jae puts in a lot of work. I think our guys kind of believe in his toughness and his grit and all the things he does that lead to winning. They may not use those exact words, but I think that’s how we all feel about Jae.

"I think those type of guys are really important too. Like, you just have to believe. Jae goes out there every night thinking he’s going to do everything in his power to help you win the game."

Crowder's stat line this season doesn't bash you over the head. In fact, his scoring is down a tick from last season to 13.2 points per game. And yet he's quietly been ultra efficient, posting career highs by shooting 45.6 percent overall and 39.7 percent from the 3-point arc. Crowder also is posting career marks in rebounds (5.7) and assists (2.2) over 32.2 minutes per game.

His importance to the Celtics is best reflected in the team's on/off splits. Boston owns a net rating of plus-7 points per 100 possessions when Crowder is on the floor -- second best on the team behind recently skyrocketing Amir Johnson (7.4) -- and that rating plummets to a team-worst minus-2.4 when Crowder is off the floor. Crowder is the only player on Boston's roster in the negative for off-court rating.

Informed of Stevens' choice of words to describe him during the word association activity, Crowder temporarily was at a loss for words. Just like his chit-chat with Stevens two years ago, that description is exactly what he wants to hear.

"Those words are special to me, and they're everything I want to be," Crowder said. "I want the guys beside me to believe that we can do whatever we want to do. I never put a ceiling on myself, I never put a ceiling on my teammates or my team. I’m just always thinking that we should win every game. That’s how I approach every day. I just believe that we can achieve whatever it is we want to achieve."

It's nearly midnight when Crowder and Thomas huddle for dinner after a particularly frustrating butt-whupping in Denver to conclude Boston's 2-3 road trip. Thomas is already frustrated at the way the Celtics played, particularly coming off Wednesday's win over the Golden State Warriors, and news that the Wizards have leapfrogged Boston in the standings after an overtime win in Sacramento further irritates Thomas.

"I'm trying to be the calm one," Crowder said. "If we're both going crazy, then you have a problem. I tried to be the one who was like, ‘You know we're going to get it back. We have 15 games left. A lot of them at home and we have a great opportunity in front of us.’ We can’t have both of us going crazy."

Thomas eventually warmed to the notion, and the Celtics responded with Sunday's shellacking of the Bulls, even if Chicago's absolutely pathetic effort contributed immensely to the lopsided nature of the game.

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After Crowder divulged their dinner conversation, Thomas was asked Monday how closely he monitors the standings.

"I never look at the standings," he said, unable to muffle a smile.

A reporter started to relay what Crowder had said and a playfully animated Thomas interrupted to add, "I know what Jae said, man! I look at [the standings] every minute, every chance I can. I’m always looking at them. I seen what Jae said."

So just how important is premium seeding in the Eastern Conference this season?

"I think it’s very important. Whether 1 or 2, I think it’s important to be in that position," Thomas said. "We just have to take control of the things we can control and that’s going out there and being us."

Thomas is repeating Crowder's advice. Thomas likely never doubted that the Celtics would still make a charge at a top seed, but Crowder has a way of making sure the team remains focused on the next game.

On the court and off the court, Crowder always finds a way to inspire winning.