Boston Celtics: The C’s Are Proving To Be Worthy, But Not Elite
The Boston Celtics are proving to be future playoff team this season, but they are certainly not an elite team yet.
The Boston Celtics are 14-11 on the season, and they would be a seven seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs if they started today. The Celtics have beaten three teams that are in front of them in the standings, including the Miami Heat (14-9), the Charolette Hornets (14-9) and the Chicago Bulls (14-8).
The Bulls are No. 2 in the East right now with that record, which shows that there is not much separation between the tight Eastern Conference playoff field right now. The Cleveland Cavaliers are only 16-7, and they are the best team in the East and the entire NBA.
The Cavaliers are an elite team, along with Western Conference teams like the Golden State Warriors, the San Antonio Spurs, and even the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Celtics have lost to all of these teams, except for the Thunder, who were without Kevin Durant when they played them. Boston has nine wins so far this season against teams that would miss the playoffs right now, and they have only five wins against playoff-caliber teams in both the East and the West.
Boston is turning some heads around the NBA with some of their wins, but after watching them play against some of the elite competition in the NBA; it is clear to see that they are still a middle tier squad.
Boston Has Had Their Opportunities
Recently, the Celtics have played the Spurs, Warriors, and Cavaliers and they have lost all of those games. The game against the Spurs was interesting because the Celtics were getting beat up all game on the road, but down the stretch they put themselves in a position to fight for a win.
Boston shot an impressive 45.3 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from deep against the No. 1 ranked defense in the NBA in that game.
Celtics are the only team that lost to Spurs by fewer than 20 points during this stretch (3-point loss). https://t.co/2A06HjNhnM
— Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) December 15, 2015
Boston played the Spurs real tough on the road, and they are easily the second best team in the NBA with a 21-5 record. The Celtics played pretty bad in their first meeting with the team at home in early November, but the second time around, the team showed that they could hang with the Spurs.
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The Celtics also tried to end the undefeated streak of the Warriors at home, but they lost in double overtime. The Warriors were without Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes, while Stephen Curry shot 9-for-27 from the field (33.3 percent), but the Celtics still lost. The Warriors honestly did not play that well, and Boston had two opportunities to win the game, one in regulation and one in the first overtime.
In their most recent game, Boston faced off with the Cavaliers. The Celtics shot horribly by shooting 32.2 percent from the field and 28.1 percent from deep. The Celtics’ offense looked out of sorts Tuesday night and they scored a season-low 77 points against Cleveland.
Boston also held LeBron James in check for the most part by only allowing him to score 20 points, but Boston’s offense and shooting struggles lost the game for the team.
Overall
The opportunities to prove that Boston can compete with elite teams around the NBA have been there so far this season, but they have failed to get that really big victory. Wins over Miami, Chicago, Charolette and Oklahoma City are noteworthy, but the Celtics are not an elite team; they are a still a middle tier team.