The Boston Celtics have heard enough about people doubting them. Will teams continue to underestimate them in the playoffs?
The 2018 NBA Playoffs haven’t started yet, but the Boston Celtics are already tired of you counting them out. In the wake of Kyrie Irving‘s season-ending surgery, it’s been speculated that potential playoff opponents have been jockeying for the seventh seed to prey on the wounded Celtics in the first round.
(If you feel personally disrespected, take solace in the fact that the Celtics can dodge the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round if the Philadelphia 76ers hold the third seed.)
Every time the playoffs roll around, we hear the same bluster from the same players. Predictably, John Wall wants to “make a statement” against the Celtics and the Cavaliers to wrap up the regular season. Consider it a warning shot, I suppose, as to what may come in a playoff series. If we’re keeping score, Cleveland left the Washington Wizards in the dust after coming back from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter in their last meeting, and Boston will be resting players when they meet on Tuesday.
The Celtics didn’t direct their remarks toward any particular teams, but only expressed what we’ve known about them all year: They’re not afraid of anybody.
Horford on idea teams might be hoping to get the 7 seed to play them now: “The only thing I can say to that is I can’t wait until the playoffs start.”
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) April 7, 2018
After the news broke about Irving’s season-ending knee surgery, Terry Rozier chipped in with what may be my favorite quote of the season.
No Doubt No Fear this way
— Terry Rozier (@T_Rozzay3) April 5, 2018
Clear, concise, and powerful. A little sloppy on the presentation, but I can look past that. I can appreciate John Wall’s hubris as well, but the “I’m going to make a statement” mantra is so played out that it feels superficial at best. Yes, I’m nitpicking about this.
Seriously though, don’t doubt the Celtics. Not because they might win the Finals. Oh, God no. Not this year. Nobody should doubt the Celtics because they have weaponized the very essence of doubt. The fatal flaw of so many NBA teams, especially this year, is the temptation to play down to competition.
As Celtics fans, we like to conclude that each under-manned win makes Boston’s active roster superior to its opponents. Let’s be real though – it’s not. To the chagrin of the players, the stone-cold reality is that better coaching often prevails in the face of tough odds. With so many injuries, the only real constant is Brad Stevens’ influence. Of course, Brad’s thoughts on the injury situation are extremely Brad.
Brad Stevens: “The expectation is that we have 15 guys who are NBA players on NBA contracts, and if they play to their strengths then we have a chance.”
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 4, 2018
It’s insane that this season essentially boils down to a quote like that one.
“As long as we have 15 players with a pulse, we can win a basketball game.” Facts are facts, I guess. I know better than to question the coach, but his zen philosophy still ignores the fact that he doesn’t actually have 15 healthy players ready to go.
The Celtics are rolling about 12 players deep right now, and that number is only going to get lower once the playoffs start as Jonathan Gibson, Jabari Bird and Kadeem Allen are not currently playoff-eligible. A player would have to be waived in order to add one of them, which is always possible, but not likely.
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The inevitable outcome is grim, but don’t count out the Celtics if you want to outlast them.