NBA: Power ranking East playoff teams ahead of the post-season

4. Boston Celtics

What appeared to be everyone’s number one team in the East heading into the season has since drastically underperformed throughout the year. A combination of injuries and chemistry issues is any teams worst nightmare, but the Boston Celtics are still fighting for a high seed this postseason.

Kyrie Irving has had a great season averaging career highs in assists and rebounds and Jayson Tatum has been developing really well in his 2nd year in the league. However, key players like Jaylen Brown and Al Horford who had terrific seasons last year have not been playing up to those standards. On top of that Gordon Hayward still isn’t the player he was on Utah before his horrid leg injury the first game into last season.

Since coming back Hayward’s been put on a minutes restriction and then succumbed to coming off the bench. The players the Celtics relied on last season and hoped for this season aren’t what they anticipated and this has led to severe underperformance for Boston this year. One upside could be the experience in the playoffs most of the Celtics team has.

The Celtics can get a rhythm in the postseason and if they find their groove could even go as far as the finals. Don’t rule Boston out despite their regular season struggles as they still have the firepower to make a deep run if their centerpiece assets deliver like they have and should.