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BOSTON -- In theory, Friday night's contest between the Celtics and undefeated Golden State Warriors was just another regular season game.

In reality, it was something much bigger.

The Warriors, armed with an undefeated record and a 23-game winning streak, brought a buzz to TD Garden that hadn't been felt since the days of the Big Three. Several New England Patriots players and owner Robert Kraft were on hand to catch the action. Hundreds of fans showed up a full hour before the tipoff to watch reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry warm up.

The Celtics indeed were in the national spotlight Friday, and they delivered by taking Golden State to two overtimes before finally after 58 minutes of hard-fought basketball.

Yes, Boston failed to come through again down the stretch. But when you're forcing extra basketball against a team that's absolutely demolished opponents during an historic run, you're going to turn some heads.

"They were amazing," Warriors forward Draymond Green said of the Celtics. "We knew they were coming in to play this way. ... They're a good team, a good ball club, and they're going to continue to get better."

The Celtics own a respectable 13-10 record after their loss but have held their own against the likes of the Warriors and San Antonio Spurs while knocking off teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Chicago Bulls.

In short: This Boston team isn't afraid of anyone and has lofty expectations after going out with a whimper in last season's playoffs.

"They just kind of confirmed what we knew about them," Warriors interim coach Luke Walton said.

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-- Kelly Olynyk was Boston's go-to player down the stretch.

The Celtics forward finished with a team-high 28 points, 15 of which came in the fourth quarter and overtime. Olynyk missed a buzzer-beating jumper at the end of regulation, but he kept Boston in the game in both overtimes after Avery Bradley fouled out early in the first OT period.

"He made plays," head coach Brad Stevens said of Olynyk. "And he did them against Draymond some, which is encouraging because Draymond's an awfully good defender. Kelly just made some good plays, good shots."

-- Olynyk and the rest of the Celtics fed off an electric TD Garden crowd that made the game feel at times like Game 7 of a playoff series.

"Yeah, I mean the Garden was rockin'," Olynyk said. "It was unbelievable. Fans were great."

-- Among those in the stands was Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, who managed to get Curry's ear as he walked off the court after the game.

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-- A few updates on a pair of injured Celtics: Rookie R.J. Hunter will miss Saturday's contest against the Charlotte Hornets but should be ready to return to practice Monday, per Stevens.

Second-year guard Marcus Smart's left knee injury will be re-evaluated next week.