With their recent victory on Wednesday night over the East leading Cleveland Cavaliers, more speculation on whether the second seeded Boston Celtics could challenge them have been popping up.
At the beginning of the season it was no secret who everyone thought would be in the NBA Finals come the summer, but now with Kevin Love needing surgery and Kevin Durant out for a month with a leg injury, the world is picking upsets.
Behind All-Star Isaiah Thomas’ 31 points the Celtics down the Cavs and moved another game closer to taking the top seed in the Eastern Conference. But even if they did take the one seed, would it prove they were enough to take on LeBron James and his battletested Cleveland team?
We will break down what the winningest franchise in NBA history will need to do in order to return to the Finals for the first time since 2010.
As many people criticized, the Cs stood pat at the trade deadline once again after choosing to keep their current roster and future assets over trading for another player.
While I don’t necessarily think it was the right decision I am going to press on and make it known who on this roster needs to perform for the rest of the season and into the playoffs.
1. Isaiah Thomas
It shouldn’t be any surprise that the tiny titan is the first man up. He is the Celtic’s leading scorer, 29.6 per game, and leads the league in fourth quarter scoring. If Boston is going to go any further than the first round, IT4 will need to keep up his amazing play.
2. Avery Bradley
Most people would have Al Horford here, but I think the Cs need their backcourt tandem to be at their best more than anything. If AB can stay healthy, it not only adds more defensive diversity to the Boston starting lineup, but they also get their second leading scorer, 17.2 per game, back.
3. Al Horford
The newest addition to the team is probably the one that the team will rely on for the widest amount of contribution. His scoring, rebounding and playmaking will need to take a step up from what he has shown over the last few months if the Celtics hope to do anything in the postseason.
4. Marcus Smart
Smart has been amazing this season in many regards, but once more he has proven he can defend almost anyone on the court at a high level and that coupled with his recent string of consistent offensive games will be what Boston needs in the playoffs. Look for him to be antagonizing the other team’s best player for portions of the games.
5. Jae Crowder
The thing the Celtics will need in the playoffs is defense. Meaning everyone out on the floor will need to give 110 percent always. There are few people in the league who have more confidence and heart than Crowder. He isn’t afraid to put it all on the line, and that is what Boston must do to stand a chance in the postseason.
