Why Celtics Have Struggled In The Playoffs
Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens is wildly considered one of the best coaches in the NBA and arguably the best modern one. With that said, his playoff success has been close to none, but why is that?
When looking at the Boston Celtics roster on paper, it’s impossible to say that it’s not good.
Boston has a bunch of quality players that play very hard. In the grand scheme though, Boston truly has the 4th or 5th best on paper roster in the Eastern Conference. Brad Stevens has exceeded all exceptions and gotten the absolute most out of his roster.
Most of the guys seen as above quality players on the Celtics roster are only labeled that because of Brad’s system.
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With all that said, the Boston Celtics generally will not have the best player on the court in the playoffs, especially in the East.
With all due respect, Isaiah Thomas is great. He is one of the hardest workers and craftiest players in the NBA, but he isn’t better than LeBron James, John Wall, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jimmy Butler or Paul George. These are all players that the Celtics could/might have to face in a playoff series. Don’t get me wrong, the East isn’t great. It’s just loaded with stars – better than the ones Boston has on their roster.
Point being, it’s brutally difficult to win a playoff series in the NBA without having the best player on the court.
The way basketball works is that you can gameplan and scheme around a player, but a star is still going to get his, you just have to limit him.
The problem the Boston Celtics have is not only their only star is worse than everyone else’s, but that he is the smallest. It is much easier to defend and keep tabs of a 5-foot-9 guard who just physically can’t play defense, rather than a both sides of the ball stud like Jimmy Butler.
“So why do the Celtics succeed in the regular season?”
That is the question that almost everyone is asking, but the answer is quite simple. It is much easier to scheme against an opposing superstar for one night and the 2-4 times you see him in the regular season than 4-7 straight games like the playoffs are.
And the same goes for the counter in scheming against Isaiah Thomas. It is much easier to scheme Thomas getting his buckets vs a team you haven’t seen in a month rather than two nights ago. It is also easier to shut down a 5-foot-9 guard consistently than a 6-foot-7 one.
Now, I am not making excuses. There is no reason the Celtics should be down 2-0 to the Bulls, nor should they should lose this series. Top to bottom, regardless of having the worse star, the Celtics are much better.
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Simply put, the Boston Celtics need to play better. But, with the inferior talent at the star position, it’s going to be brutally hard to not only come back to tie the series on the road, but win it.
Did you hear that Danny Ainge? This is not on Brad Stevens.