Playoffs Can Bring Hope For Boston Celtics

By ggrammer | Apr 2, 2015

Mar 20, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; Boston Celtics point guard Marcus Smart (36) has his shot blocked by San Antonio Spurs power forward Tim Duncan (21) during the second half at AT&T Center. The Spurs won 101.89. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /

The Boston Celtics have seven games left in the season and sit in the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff slot. ESPN’s Hollinger odds may place the chances of the Celtics making the playoffs at just 44.7 percent, but Boston controls its own destiny. In a season with so many ups and downs, to come this far is quite an accomplishment.

But let us be honest. Boston may make the first round of the playoffs, but they would need a miracle of miracles to defeat either Atlanta or Cleveland. And as Zach Lowe pointed out today, making the playoffs can be a detriment to becoming a championship team.

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The Celtics were expected to tank for a high pick this season and acquire a superstar through the 2015 draft. Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, and everyone else have been tough, scrappy players that have won games and are fun to watch. But none of them are likely to become the star needed for the Celtics to become a contender, and Boston is unlikely to get a star with their lower draft pick.

Does this mean that Boston would have been better off had they slumped these past few weeks? No. Absolutely not. Even if Boston gets swept out by Atlanta, the playoff experience for this young team and the reward of a strong showing are invaluable.

Let us go back to the concept of the “mediocrity treadmill” which Lowe used when discussing the Celtics. The mediocrity treadmill is when a NBA team is stuck making the playoffs year after year, but has no serious hopes of winning the championship. As Charlotte Bobcats general manager Rich Cho said,

“One of the worst things you can do in this league is be a middle-of-the-road team — in the playoffs one year, out the next.”

The Atlanta Hawks during the Joe Johnson-Josh Smith days were the textbook definition of a mediocrity team. The Houston Rockets between the Yao Ming years and the arrival of James Harden are another example. While the Rockets did not make the playoffs, they came close and thus had the 14th pick for three straight years.

However, the definition of who is on this treadmill has expanded as of late. These days, nearly every team in the seventh or eighth playoff seed is defined as a treadmill team. Meanwhile, Philadelphia 76ers Sam Hinkie is praised (and criticized) for his approach of openly tanking and collecting high draft picks.

But the reality is that good teams beget further good teams. The Hawks and the Rockets are now two of the top five teams in the league. Multiple articles show that mediocre teams are more likely to be contenders in the future compared to terrible teams.

A team that is bad enough to get LeBron James or Anthony Davis is still a team in terrible shape after the draft. And now a fan has to hope that the team which got into this terrible shape in the first place will be able to get out of it and surround their stars with appropriate pieces.

For the Celtics, this would have meant that everything should go wrong. Avery Bradley would take more contested mid-range jumpers. Brad Stevens would quit drawing up clever plays. And Kelly Olynyk would not be able to string more than two good games in a row.

Oh, wait.

But that last sentence aside, Celtics fans have seen the opposite. Isaiah Thomas and everyone else have played better than anyone expected them to. And that should be celebrated, not frowned at.

Furthermore, playoff experience in and of itself can be valuable. Mistakes and weaknesses are amplified in the playoffs, and the desire to change them can grow after a national audience sees them. Witness how LeBron built up his post game and bounced back after his 2011 Finals debacle, or how James Harden’s defense has improved after he failed to guard Damian Lillard’s series winner.

A strong showing in the playoffs can attract free agents, provide a national spotlight to players, and give them an avenue to improve. Boston’s path to a superstar may be difficult. But this team’s path to an 18th title should begin by making the playoffs this year. Leave the grousing about draft picks for after the Celtics get knocked out.

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