Boston Celtics: 3 key improvements for rest of the season

(Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
(Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
(Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /

The All-Star break has come and gone and teams are starting to switch their focus on making a final push toward the playoffs. If the Boston Celtics want to finish as the No. 1 seed, then they’ll need to fix these three things.

The Boston Celtics started the season very strong and looked to be the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. The past few weeks, however, have been a bit of struggle, with the team going 5-5 in its last 10 games. You could still argue that the Celtics are the team to beat in the East, but there are certainly other teams that have different opinions on that.

The Toronto Raptors have been a team that has surprised everyone and look like the new team to beat in the East. Everyone knew they were talented and a good team – more than likely a top-four seed; but did anyone expect them to hold the 1-seed after the All-Star break?

A huge reason to this surprise has been the MVP-caliber play out of All-Star DeMar DeRozan. The Celtics are 1-1 against the Raptors, but did recently lose to them and it was not a game to remember for Boston.

Beyond that, the Cleveland Cavaliers look to be an improved team after some massive roster changes before the trade deadline. They won their final four games before the break, even taking one away from the Celtics, winning by 22 points.

The Washington Wizards are even a team to watch, even more so when they get John Wall back from his injury. The last handful of games are not to be taken lightly because there are plenty of teams that are still in it for the No. 1 seed. Sure, the Wizards may be eight games behind, but it’s the NBA. Anything is possible.

As of now, the Celtics have a 40-19 record and that is nothing to be upset about, but when you look at the recent skid they’ve been on, one would hope for better. Before falling apart, they had a 34-10 record and since then they’ve gone 6-9, including one four-game losing streak and a current three-game losing streak.

Sadly, their schedule isn’t anything to be too excited about. The Celtics have just 23 games remaining and a good portion of that are teams in the playoffs or making a push toward the postseason:

Regular Season Table
G Date Opponent
60 Fri, Feb 23, 2018 7:00p ET 28-29 @ Detroit Pistons
G Date Opponent
61 Sat, Feb 24, 2018 7:30p ET 23-36 @ New York Knicks
62 Mon, Feb 26, 2018 7:30p ET 18-38 Memphis Grizzlies
63 Wed, Feb 28, 2018 7:30p ET 24-33 Charlotte Hornets
64 Sat, Mar 3, 2018 8:30p ET 44-13 @ Houston Rockets
65 Mon, Mar 5, 2018 8:00p ET 20-37 @ Chicago Bulls
66 Thu, Mar 8, 2018 8:00p ET 36-25 @ Minnesota Timberwolves
67 Sun, Mar 11, 2018 7:30p ET 33-25 Indiana Pacers
68 Wed, Mar 14, 2018 8:00p ET 33-24 Washington Wizards
69 Fri, Mar 16, 2018 7:00p ET 18-39 @ Orlando Magic
70 Sun, Mar 18, 2018 6:00p ET 31-26 @ New Orleans Pelicans
71 Tue, Mar 20, 2018 8:00p ET 33-26 Oklahoma City Thunder
72 Fri, Mar 23, 2018 10:00p ET 32-26 @ Portland Trail Blazers
73 Sun, Mar 25, 2018 6:00p ET 18-39 @ Sacramento Kings
74 Mon, Mar 26, 2018 10:00p ET 18-41 @ Phoenix Suns
75 Wed, Mar 28, 2018 9:30p ET 30-28 @ Utah Jazz
76 Sat, Mar 31, 2018 7:30p ET 41-16 Toronto Raptors
77 Tue, Apr 3, 2018 8:00p ET 32-25 @ Milwaukee Bucks
78 Wed, Apr 4, 2018 7:00p ET 41-16 @ Toronto Raptors
79 Fri, Apr 6, 2018 7:30p ET 20-37 Chicago Bulls
80 Sun, Apr 8, 2018 1:00p ET 18-41 Atlanta Hawks
G Date Opponent
81 Tue, Apr 10, 2018 8:00p ET 33-24 @ Washington Wizards
82 Wed, Apr 11, 2018 8:00p ET 19-40 Brooklyn Nets

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/19/2018.

This is not a good stretch for the Celtics, especially when you consider their struggles in the past 15 games or so. None of these teams are going to make life easy, even if they are the bottom-feeders of the league.

But don’t worry, it’s not all that bad for the Boston Celtics … as long as they can do these three things.