With the (very disappointing) All-Star break over, many teams are preparing to gear up for a grueling championship run. That begs the question— are the Celtics still contenders?
What’s New?
For one, the Celtics added Torrey Craig, who’s shot an amazing 40% from 3 in his last three years. That continued as he went 3/3 from downtown in the Celtics’ domination over the Spurs.
Is he good enough to get rotation minutes on the Celtics? That solely depends on Sam Hauser and his consistency. If Craig is able to shoot 40% from 3 and keep up his elite defense (like he’s been known to do throughout his career), we could potentially be looking at some 10-15 playoff minutes coming Craig’s way.
When asked about playing in TD Garden, Craig couldn’t hold back his joy.
“It’s crazy,” said the former Chicago Bull. “The atmosphere, the crowd, the fans… just a joy to play in front of a crowd like that.”
If his debut meant anything, Torrey Craig could be a key 3&D player for the Celtics come playoff time.
Celtics Grades
Jayson Tatum has undoubtedly been one of the best players in the NBA this year. Yes, Shai is flashy, Giannis is dominant, and Joker is intelligent, but Tatum really does it all.
With averages of 29/7/5 over his last five games, it’s clear he’s getting ready for what will most likely be (fingers crossed) another trip to the NBA Finals.
As for the other Celtics, the sailing hasn’t been as smooth. Kristaps Porzingis has looked better as of late (20 points and seven rebounds in his last five), but he just hasn’t been healthy this season. Jaylen Brown has had issues with his efficiency, and Jrue Holiday has been injured.
The bench has also been inefficient, starting with Payton Pritchard. Some days, he drops 20, and on others, he plays 10 minutes and goes 0/4— not a good recipe for success.
Overall, the Celtics stood at 43-12 at this point last year. This year, they’re 39-16— only four games behind. Considering all the injuries, that’s quite impressive.
I have no doubt the other guys (non-Jayson Tatum) will begin to pick it up in March and April.
Celtics or the Field?
Yes, the field does include blazing-hot teams like the OKC Thunder and the Cleveland Cavaliers, both capable in a series. Other fringe contenders include the Denver Nuggets and NY Knicks.
Luckily, there’s a statistic that truly does separate contenders and pretenders– instituted by legendary head coach Phil Jackson.
If a team reaches 40 wins before losing 20 (meaning at least 40 wins in their first 59 games), they should be considered a legitimate title threat.
The Cavs and Thunder have easily completed that. The Celtics? They must go a fairly easy 1-3 to hit that mark. The Knicks and Nuggets, though, face more difficulty in that.
Looking at team records against above-.500 teams, it’s also clear that there are only three real contenders in the NBA.
https://twitter.com/CelticsUnite18/status/1891558807785935154
As a Celtics fan, I’ll go with my Celtics. There’s just not enough experience on the Thunder, and the Cavs don’t have enough versatility to match up with the Jays— although De’Andre Hunter was a good trade deadline addition.
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