Boston Celtics: Why the C’s should still be the favorites in the East
Despite underwhelming for much of the season, the Boston Celtics should still be considered the favorites to come out of the East
After taking LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals without their all-star Kyrie Irving, and Lebron Leaving the conference for the Los Angeles Lakers, the Boston Celtics were inevitably named as the favorites to represent the East in the NBA Finals.
However, through three quarters of the season, the Celtics have been much more underwhelming than anyone could’ve projected. With 21 games left on their remaining schedule before the playoffs, the Celtics have lost five of their last seven games and are currently the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
There has been reported tension amongst players in the locker room, from top to bottom. Not to mention the huge mystery that is Kyrie Irving’s upcoming free agency. Together, it has haunted this Celtics season and has made it all not that enjoyable.
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Through all the madness, the two teams that are threatening the Celtics in the East both got substantially better. The Milwaukee Bucks, by hiring Mike Budenholzer and Giannis Antetokounmpo making the leap into one of the best players in the world conversation and NBA MVP consideration, and the Philadelphia 76ers by adding Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris via in-season blockbuster trades.
Not to mention the Toronto Raptors who just managed to add Kawhi Leonard over the summer. With all that said, the Celtics should still be considered the favorites in the Eastern Conference. Let’s take a look why.
Brad Stevens
Just a few months ago Brad Stevens was almost universally considered as one of the best coaches in the NBA. This season, so far it seems as though Stevens has struggled to coach with two superstars in Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward and a rising star in Jayson Tatum.
Last year, Stevens exceeded in taking a team with no star the distance. In last year’s playoffs it felt as though all they needed was a superstar to hit big shots and close road games in the playoffs as they heavily struggled, winning only one road playoff game in their magical run last year.
With that being said, we all assumed the returns of Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, in addition to Boston’s young core, while being coached by the best coach in the league, would be enough to get them over the hump in the East.
That has not proved to be the case so far this year. To be optimistic despite the struggles, distractions and a few bad losses, the Celtics have a blueprint on how to put themselves in the best position to succeed – and that’s defense.
Brad Stevens’ specialty is defense and the Celtics are currently top 5 in both steals and blocks for the entire league. As far as the opposition goes, Embiid and Simmons have already struggled with Boston’s defense in the few times that they met. Stevens’ scheme of guarding Simmons in the paint due to his lack of a jumpshot was detrimental to Simmons impact offensively.
The biggest defensive piece is Al Horford, who was the deciding factor defensively against both the Sixers and Bucks in the playoffs last year as both Giannis and Embiid struggled when being guarded by him.
Brad Stevens has defensive weapons at every single position from Marcus Smart to Jaylen Brown to Aron Baynes and Al Horford. Great coaches will always figure it out. Come playoff time, Brad Stevens will stress the importance of defensive excellence and the efforts on the defensive side of the ball will elevate them on both sides of the floor.
Kyrie Irving
As stated previously, with practically the same collection of talent as last year, the Celtics were just a game away from the NBA Finals but struggled with things that big-time players excel in, such as hitting big shots in close playoff games, closing road playoff games and leading a team with on-court play.
Kyrie Irving is unequivocally the man for the job. Irving craves these moments and has championship pedigree and DNA. Kyrie has taken and made some big shots in big moments. Irving is the exact missing puzzle piece from the Celtics run last year. Currently, amidst the chaos that this season has been for the Celtics, Kyrie Irving may be having the best season of his career averaging 23 points per game, along with five rebounds and seven assists while shooting 50 percent from the field.
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In the playoffs, Kyrie is going to have to better than that. In fact, Irving is going to have to be special, anything less will lead to an early exit. Boston fans have every reason to believe that Kyrie Irving will lead them to success within the Eastern Conference this year; he has the right pieces, coach, mindset and will to do so.
The race to win the Eastern Conference championship and an opportunity to hoist the NBA title is going to be an uphill battle with very worthy contenders, but in an Eastern Conference 7-game series, Brad Stevens, Kyrie Irving, and Boston’s team defense will not be beaten.