3 thoughts on what will — and won’t — determine Celtics’ playoff run
COMMENTARY
Three thoughts on the 50-win, second-seeded, shot-at-the-first-pick, allegedly reeling Celtics …
1. The Celtics’ playoff chances aren’t about who they play, but rather who is playing.
The sports radio whinnying about the desperation to win a first-round series for the first time in Brad Stevens’s four seasons here has become relentless and willfully disregards all context about how rapid and impressive this turnaround has been. But it’s also, I must admit, the truth; it is time. The Celtics are going to have homecourt in the first and second rounds, and hanging around beyond at least one round is the natural progression, the logical next step at a minimum, after last season’s first-round loss to the Hawks.
I’m not worried about the first round. The Celtics are better than the often dysfunctional Bulls and Pacers (tied for seventh as of Friday afternoon) or Heat (a half-game back). The second round is a guaranteed brawl presuming neither the Raptors nor Wizards get upset in round one. Either matchup would be tough for the Celtics, guaranteeing a long, stressful, and wildly entertaining series.
If they get out of the second round, every one of their impatient detractors should cease with the complaints. That’s a successful season heading into a fascinating offseason. It’s the kind of directional trend many franchises struggle to achieve when they don’t tank, instead languishing in the irrelevant middle for years.
But all of that comes with one caveat: They have to remain healthy. This mysterious Jae Crowder elbow injury is concerning, as is Avery Bradley’s unfortunate history of dealing with some injury or ailment seemingly every few weeks. He’s missed 27 games this year.
I remain convinced they would have beaten the Hawks last year had Bradley — often their best player — not been knocked out for the series with a hamstring injury in Game 1. And remember, Crowder was basically playing on one decent ankle that series.
Bradley looks rusty after being hospitalized with the flu, so it would probably benefit him to get some reps these last few games. But I wouldn’t be averse to shutting down Crowder for at least a game or two. The degree of difficulty grows enormously when Bradley and Crowder are absent or ailing. Let last year be the lesson.
