Massachusetts recently claimed a championship through the New England Patriots, who had the greatest Super Bowl comeback in history against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. Aside from the Patriots, there’s another team that could potentially bring home another championship—the Boston Celtics. While the Celtics have been under a self-branded ‘rebuilding’ process, there seems to be something brewing in the TD Garden arena.
The Celtics currently sit 2nd in the Eastern Conference, a considerable feat given their standing in past seasons. More importantly, they’re only two games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers. If they can keep their spot in the Eastern Conference standings, they’ll be able to delay playing the Cavs until the pivotal Eastern Conference Finals.
The Celtics’ roster is firing on all cylinders—11 of their players are averaging at least 40% field goal averages. Perhaps the most interesting piece of the Celtics puzzle this season is Isaiah Thomas. At 5’9”, Thomas is one of the smallest players in the league, but that hasn’t stopped him from averaging 29.9 points a game, 10.7 of which coming in the 4th quarter. Thomas has proved to be clutch when his team needs him most. Aside from Thomas, Avery Bradley and Al Horford have both surfaced as prime members of this roster, averaging 17.7 and 15 points, respectively.
At 33-19, the Celtics are playing great, though one of their biggest flaws in starting to reveal itself as the season rolls on—rebounding. The team’s defensive rebounding statistics are nothing to be proud of. Even worse, the lack of rebounding translates into a lack of second-chance points. If they can add a strong center, or at least an all-star defensive player, before the February 23rd trade deadline, the Celtics will have the final piece they need to be true title contenders.
Their postseason stint will certainly be overshadowed by the Cavs, who have Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and one of the greatest players of all time, LeBron James. Not to mention they are the returning champs. The anticipated storyline is a third straight rematch between the Golden State Warriors and the Cavs in the NBA Finals, but the Celtics are trying to add a plot twist of their own.
In the west, the Warriors are trying to stave off the San Antonio Spurs. If there’s anything to consider with playoff basketball in the NBA, it’s that anything can happen. The Cavs may have what’s been coined a ‘super-team,’ but the Celtics are playing with a tenacity and grit that can take them all the way.
At the start of the season, no one would’ve expected the Celtics to be where they are now. No one would have expected Thomas to put on the phenomenal performance he has thus far. To be honest, no one expects anyone in the Eastern Conference to beat the Cavs. However, if there’s any lessons the Celtics can take from their fellow New England Patriots’ amazing Super Bowl comeback, it’s that you don’t stop playing until it’s over.
The 2017-2018 NBA season has already proved to be an interesting one, and the Celtics want to make their lasting mark. If they can continue playing as they have been and also add the missing defensive piece, you can be sure the Celtics will put in a strong bid for the title of the Eastern Conference’s best.
All things considered, the Celtics will be a good option for Massachusetts residents interested in sports gambling.