Dec 21, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal (3) on the court after colliding with Boston Celtics power forward Jared Sullinger (7) during the second period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
All right Boston Celtics, fans: this is it!
Tonight the Boston Celtics join the rest of the NBA in playing their final game of the 2013-2014 regular season. That’s right: all 30 NBA teams will play their 82nd game tonight, in a giant festival of fairly-meaningless basketball! Expect starters to sit, scrubs to get major playing time, and zero drama, since every playoff team has already been determined. Well, that’s not entirely true – a few teams are playing for playoff seeding, but that’s nowhere near as interesting as a win-or-go-home scenario, now is it?
Back to the Celtics: the TD Garden will be rocking tonight as the Cs host the playoff-bound Washington Wizards for fan appreciation night. Washington is one of those teams who are playing for seeding, as they could wind up being seeded anywhere from 5th to 7th in the Eastern Conference following tonight’s action.
Boston, on the other hand, is simply playing for something to feel good about as they pack up their bags and head to the offseason. Rookies Kelly Olynyk and Phil Pressey have come on strong as of late and would love to head into the summer feeling they are one productive offseason away from being major contributors to the Boston Celtics next season. Mercurial small forward Jeff Green has also played well down the stretch, probably as a direct response to his critics who complained that he was too inconsistent. And both Avery Bradley and Brandon Bass are playing for their jobs, as both of these guys have heard their names mentioned in the trade rumor mill.
And let’s not forgot: tonight’s results could change where the Celtics ultimately wind up in the NBA lottery standings. As of this morning, Boston is 25-56, all alone with the fifth-worst record in the NBA. Depending on how they play, and how the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Lakers fare, Boston could find itself anywhere from tied for fourth, in fifth by themselves, or tied with the Lakers for fifth, when it is all said and done, which all adds up to one thing: Boston has plenty left to play for tonight. I mean, lose for tonight. Wait, what?
My entire world has been turned upside down by this!
It’s an 8 p.m. tip-off tonight, so follow us @HoudiniCeltics and come back later to read Trey’s reactions to the action!
In case you’re wondering, Jared Sullinger, Kris Humphries, and Jerryd Bayless are al listed as questionable for tonight, which in all likelihood means, DNP.