As the Celtics entered the All-Star break on a excessive be aware with final Wednesday’s win over the Pistons, they have been understandably in excessive spirits. There have been smiles throughout the locker room as everybody departed for his or her respective locations, as they boasted one of the best document within the NBA.
But earlier than they left, Joe Mazzulla wished to ensure they weren’t too excessive on themselves.
“You can’t run away, you can’t ignore it, you can’t run away from it,” Mazzulla mentioned. “I do think there is a comfort level so to speak, knowing that (we have the best record). But that was kind of my message to the guys. Just, at the same time, you can’t be too comfortable because when we come back, it picks right up. And we have a responsibility to all the work that we put in up to this point in the season to raise our level and to play even better than we have been.”
The Celtics return from the All-Star break on Thursday night time in Indiana as the highest seed within the NBA. With 23 video games remaining within the common season, there’s a lot to control as they put together for the playoffs and their pursuit of a championship. Here are 4 issues to look at:
1. Chase for the highest seed
The C’s have held on to the highest spot within the Eastern Conference for almost all of the season thus far, however there’s definitely no assure that continues. They return from the break only a half-game forward of the Bucks for the No. 1 seed and tied within the loss column. As the clear-cut favorites to come back out of the East, the remaining stretch might decide who has house court docket within the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Celtics and Bucks – who’ve cut up their first two conferences – meet another time on March 30 in Milwaukee. If the 2 groups end tied, the winner of that matchup will decide the tiebreaker. Of the Celtics’ 23 remaining video games, 13 are towards groups at present beneath .500, however the schedule contains 5 video games towards the East’s different high 4 groups – Bucks, 76ers and Cavaliers – and 13 street video games.
2. Finding some rhythm
The Celtics’ beginning lineup from final season’s run to the NBA Finals – Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Al Horford and Robert Williams – has solely been on the ground collectively for 29 minutes this season. That’s, clearly, largely a perform of availability. Williams missed the primary 29 video games of the season recovering from knee surgical procedure and has missed a number of video games since his return, Smart simply missed 11 video games with an ankle harm and Horford is sitting out back-to-backs. It’s been onerous to get that mixture on the court docket.
Others – like Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon – have stepped up remarkably and proven that the Celtics are deeper than final season, however the C’s are at their greatest when that beginning 5 is collectively. That group performed 443 minutes collectively final season – by far essentially the most of any lineup – and their chemistry confirmed within the Finals run. With all of them seemingly wholesome popping out of the break, it could serve the C’s properly to get that lineup extra run collectively down the stretch and shake off the cobwebs earlier than the playoffs start, even whereas they handle their workloads.
3. Monitoring Tatum’s workload
Tatum’s minutes have been a scorching matter between the star and the entrance workplace after he suffered from some fatigue final postseason. As the C’s return to motion, Tatum is second within the NBA with 37.3 minutes per sport and fourth with 2,051 complete minutes as he stays on observe to set a career-high in minutes.
Tatum modified his method final summer time to organize for a larger workload this season, however as he continues to handle some nagging accidents, the Celtics wish to be sure that he’s as recent as attainable for the playoffs, and which will embody sitting some video games down the stretch.
“It’s a discussion point and obviously we’ve mapped that out,” Brad Stevens mentioned on Feb. 10. “I think the reality is we need to balance it right, but we also need to make sure that he gets enough high-minute games, too. It is a balance. I think the idea of having a night or two or playing a little bit less is good. But you also need a few – especially heading into the playoffs – a few 40, 42-minute games to get ready for those games. So there’s a balance. I think we’re in good shape with that.”
4. Filling out the roster
The Celtics have one open roster spot, and it appears that evidently they plan on filling it.
“I’d be very surprised if we went into the playoffs with an open roster spot, don’t think that’s going to happen,” Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck mentioned in an look on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” final week.
Grousbeck mentioned the Celtics are taking a look at free brokers and buyout market candidates, although that pool is dwindling. Danny Green joined the Cavaliers and Kevin Love signed with the Heat after they have been every respectively purchased out by their earlier groups. Could Will Barton, who was purchased of his contract by the Wizards, be a candidate as a backup scoring wing?
One factor is for sure: The proper match might be a participant who’s advantageous with taking part in restricted minutes at greatest, and absent fully from different video games.
“There’s a lot of different ways to look at it,” Stevens mentioned. “But I feel the best way (to take a look at it’s) ‘can play but doesn’t have to play.’ And that’s a tough needle to string, proper? And I don’t blame anyone that wouldn’t wish to fill that function. But I feel we’re actually deep proper now. And we have already got a bunch of fellows which are giving up for one trigger, and so they achieved it. …
“So you’ll look at it and you will decide, OK, is there somebody that fits that need and who’s really excited to be here if that’s the case, or is it do you feel like you’ve got that all filled and maybe invest in a younger player.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com