The Boston Celtics have surprisingly been as strong as they could have possibly imagined, knowing what was working against them going in. Getting Jayson Tatum back just in time for the playoffs is a big enough deal on its own, but Boston has more advantages than just him.
What Is the Boston Celtics’ Biggest Playoff Advantage?
Speaking to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst, an Eastern Conference scout revealed what makes the Celtics tough to stop.
“Everyone’s weaknesses are minimized,” the scout told Bontemps and Windhorst, “and they maximize their guys’ strengths. And, by doing that, they create so many 3s that it’s tough to match up with them.”
That played a part in their ability to withstand losing Tatum for most of the season. Boston has gotten contributions across the board. While it’s not surprising that Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, and Sam Hauser have played as well as they have, it’s been the others who have surprised everyone with what they’ve been able to do.
That includes Neemias Queta, Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, Hugo Gonzalez, Ron Harper Jr., and Luka Garza. Because they have all collectively stepped up, the Celtics have become one of the NBA’s most flawless teams.
It’s been a pretty rare spectacle to see a team do as well as Boston has despite not having their best player. Just adding their best player into the equation has been even rarer, and that’s precisely what makes them so scary in a playoff series.
The Celtics may be two years removed from their title, but they’ve re-established how good they are in no time at all. What makes them even more impressive is the fact that they lost so much firepower on top of Tatum’s absence, and yet they are on track to be almost as good record-wise as they were last season.
Typically, when a team loses Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porziņģis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet, it takes a step back, compounded by the loss of one of the league’s best players in Tatum. However, because Boston has maximized its roster, there’s no telling how good it will be when the lights are brightest.
This was supposed to be a gap year for the Celtics, a rough, Tatum-less season in which they could simply wait for his healthy return and a high lottery pick, but Boston had other plans. Their winning culture has stood out more than ever before.
They may not be the title favorites, but they are the team no one wants to face. That’s not restricted to just the Eastern Conference.
