Should the Boston Celtics try to make the playoffs, or tank for a lottery pick?
How bad is the Eastern Conference?
It’s so bad, that even tanking teams are still in contention for a playoff spot halfway through the season.
For example, the Boston Celtics were supposed to tank their way out of playoff talk and into the lottery by trading Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green. Instead, the team is 16-27 and a game and a half behind the eighth seed.
So what happens when you fail at failing? You try to win and see what happens.
The Celtics should change their mindset and focus on securing a playoff spot this season, because it would instill confidence in their young players and build momentum within the franchise.
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First, it is important for Boston’s youthful core to build confidence in each other. Why? Because these players will be counted on to be the foundation of the team’s future success.
Players like Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk, Tyler Zeller, Marcus Smart and James Young will be called upon to play key roles in the rebuilding process, and need as much game experience as possible in order to maximize their potential as soon as possible.
Playoff experience is more important than regular season games. That’s because the playoffs are on a different level — The added pressure is a lot to handle, especially for younger players. As a matter of fact, most teams with a young core underperform their first season in the playoffs, only to return to the big stage the following season and advance.
What’s the biggest difference between two seasons? Experience. The second time around, the players know what to expect and how to cope with the demanding schedule, extra attention and pressure of being in a playoff series.
A perfect example of the difference one season of experience can make is the Indiana Pacers. In the 2010-11 season, the team sneaked into the playoffs as an eighth seed and lost to the top-seeded Chicago Bulls in the first round. Even though the Pacers only won one game against Chicago, it set the foundation for the team’s success in the following seasons by giving the team’s young players, namely Paul George, a taste of playoff experience.
The following season the Pacers advanced to the second round, losing to the eventual champions Miami Heat, 4-2. They followed that up with back-to-back trips to the Eastern Conference Finals. Over the course of a couple of seasons, the team went from a young team that barely made the playoffs to a team that contended for a championship.
The 2014-15 Celtics are in a similar position as the 2010-11 Pacers. Do the Celtics have a Paul George on its roster waiting to blossom into a superstar? That remains to be seen, but that’s why it is important for Boston to make the playoffs this season.
The team would lose in the first round, but the experience would be invaluable for future seasons, and could be the difference between winning or losing a series.
Second, the benefits of being a lottery team this season for the Celtics do not outweigh those from a trip to the playoffs. If Boston continues on the same trajectory, it will barely miss the playoffs, meaning the difference in draft position would be minimal.
Unless Boston bottoms out, it will likely receive a pick outside the top-five. History shows there is little difference between picks in the 6-15 range, and with this draft not being as deep as last year’s draft, there is no reason for the Celtics to tank for a better draft pick.
Lastly, if the Celtics were to push for and successful grab a playoff spot this season, it would build momentum for the franchise moving forward.
Making the playoffs after a season with little to no expectations would rejuvenate fans and bring excitement that would carryover to the next season. Fan support would give Boston’s young core a hunger to win and motivate them to push themselves harder during the offseason to improve.
The Celtics face a crucial turning point in their season. When you step back and look at the pros and cons of making a playoff run for a young team like Boston, it becomes quite obvious that the positives outweigh the negatives. The player development and momentum associated with a young team making the playoffs when not expected to pays huge dividends down the road for a franchise.
Will Boston stop tanking and start paying closer attention to the playoff race in the East? Right now, nobody knows, not even Boston.
But one thing is for sure — they should.