What The Boston Celtics Need To Make The Playoffs

At the beginning of this season, few predicted that the Boston Celtics would be tangling for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The team has a better chance thanks to their trade deadline additions, but they need to make up ground and win tough games if they want to be playing in May. And that assumes that the Boston front office and Danny Ainge want them in the playoffs at all.

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According to ESPN’s Hollinger Playoff Odds, the Boston Celtics’ playoff odds are 17.7 percent as of March 3. Two teams out of Miami, Indiana, Brooklyn, Charlotte, the Celtics, and Detroit will make it to the playoffs this year. Out of those six teams, only Detroit has a worse record and odds compared to the Celtics.

The Celtics players are unapologetic in their push to be there in the postseason, but much will need to go right for Boston to make it in. There are some positive signs. Boston has the second-highest point differential out of the six teams. Their recent additions at the trade deadline have helped bolster their bench and provided offensive firepower.

The Isaiah Thomas trade in particular has been a huge victory for Boston. In exchange for Marcus Thornton (who has played a total of 18 minutes with Phoenix) and a likely late first-round pick, Boston has grabbed a legitimate 20 points per game scorer.

The big development has been Isaiah’s ability to draw fouls. After shooting 4.2 free throw attempts for his career and 4.6 in Phoenix, Isaiah has averaged 7.2 foul shots in his five games with the Celtics. Such a number may be the product of a small sample size, but it is a helpful boost for a Boston team that ranks 29th in total free throw attempts.

The Celtics also need to figure out if they want to make the playoffs at all, and if they do, adjust their rotations to that end.

Kelly Olynyk will return from his ankle injury any day now. When he does, the Celtics will need to figure out how to distribute their frontcourt minutes to Olynyk, Brandon Bass, Tyler Zeller, and Jonas Jerebko.

And they may want to cut back on James Young’s minutes.

SB Nation’s Celtics Blog has just shown that Young’s defense is one of the worst in the NBA and that the Celtics may benefit more this season giving his minutes to Jerebko and Jae Crowder. But how will that impact Young’s development?

What about the remaining schedule? Unfortunately, the Celtics do not have a scheduling advantage compared to their competitors. The Celtics, Pacers, and Nets have 12 games against +.500 teams, the Heat and Hornets have 11, and the Pistons have 10.

While Boston may be tied for the most games against +.500 teams, the good news is that they have the most games against Eastern Conference opponents. This means that they can take advantage of the weaker East and have a better chance of controlling their own destiny as they face their competitors.

Games which Celtics fans should pay attention to:

March 14 and April 1 vs. Indiana: Out of the six aforementioned teams, Indiana will pose the biggest challenge to the Celtics. They have the highest point differential, are just a half-game behind Miami for the seventh slot, and have the highest Hollinger odds. And Pacers star Paul George aims to return to the court by mid-March, giving this tough defensive squad an offensive boost.

March 25 vs. Miami: After getting Goran Dragic, Heat fans held dreams of contending – before the news that Chris Bosh would be out for the rest of the season crashed down on their heads. Bosh was Miami’s best player this season and his injury weakens an already thin Miami frontcourt. Can Boston’s deep team defeat a Heat squad that thinks that “bench” is a foreign word?

April 10 and April 12 vs. Cleveland: The Celtics could be out of the playoff race this late in the season, and who knows how hard Cleveland will play? Will Cleveland rest as they prepare for the playoffs? Or will LeBron make one final sprint to wrestle the MVP trophy away from James Harden and Stephen Curry? Regardless, these two games could not only determine whether Boston will make the playoffs, but also whether they will be more than a speedbump.

So can the Celtics make the playoffs? Well, stranger things have happened in the NBA. But the Celtics will need to steal victories from some tough opponents, hope that Isaiah can keep up his strong start as a Celtic, and hope their competitors slip up.

But above all, the entire organization needs to commit to making the playoffs and not vying for a lottery spot. The players are ready to fight. So is Brad Stevens. But is Danny Ainge ready?

Next: Our Latest NBA Mock Draft

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