Boston Celtics Need to Capitalize on Easy Schedule

The Boston Celtics are in a great position to claim the two seed, largly because of their easy remaining schedule

Now that the Boston Celtics have thoroughly manhandled a lesser team for the first time since the All Star break, they can take a moment to look forward to the upcoming schedule. In a world where the Celtics were struggling against teams under .500, it may have been a worry that their opposing record the rest of the way is well under .500, but that Bulls game may have restored some order and consistency to the team.

The Celtics should have plenty of confidence from their wins against the Cavaliers and Warriors, and now they can ease that nagging worry about under performing against far worse teams. The Celtics should be able to realize that playing like they did against the Bulls the rest of the way, means they should be an overwhelming favorite to capture the two seed, and put the most pressure on the Cavaliers for the one seed.

Of course, using this easy victory to justify complacency is going to bring them back to where they were following the Suns loss, but this bizarre stretch of losing to the far worse teams should give them a bit of a blueprint for how they will approach the rest of the season.

The Celtics are the healthiest they have been all season, and with the progress Jaylen Brown has made, this is certainly the best the Celtics have been all season long, that is if they play to their capability the rest of the way.

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The Celtics still have two crucial matchups remaining against the Cavaliers and Wizards, and those will be the most important games. With the way they have struggled recently, losing those games puts them in a much worse position in terms of home court, but they are still in a position to control their own destiny. The Celtics have always shown up for those big games, and should feel confident in their ability to give their best when they need it most.

The rest of the schedule is why the Celtics should realize how important it is to make sure they handle teams they way they did against the Bulls. The Celtics are playing the majority of their remaining games at home, and they have their easiest stretch of opponents of the season.

Other than those two crucial games against top three teams in the East, the Celtics will be spending most of their time against teams on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. The Celtics have meetings against the Pacers, the Heat and the Hawks, and that is it for teams currently in the playoff picture. Take into account that both the Pacers and Heat could be coming into that matchup under .500, and the Celtics will be clear favorites in 13 of their remaining 15 games, with a chance to be favored in even more, depending on how the next three games go before meeting the Wizards.

The Celtics have spent much of this season taking the hard route. Their inconsistent play against lesser teams has treated the fans to one of the most exciting seasons in a long time, but they will inevitably blow some of these games if it is constantly coming down to the wire.

If the Celtics show up and play to their capabilities, then they will have a lot more games like that one against the Bulls. What makes it even more important is that the Celtics have been dealing with injuries all season long, and they want to be as fresh as possible coming into the playoffs.

Truly taking advantage of this schedule does not just mean winning enough games to secure the two seed, which is the number one priority. Where they can really exploit their matchups the rest of the way is building big enough leads to take a lot of pressure off of the starters, and Isaiah Thomas in particular.

Thomas has been carrying a monumental load with the Celtics this season, and the fatigue can inevitably catch up to anyone. Brad Stevens has done a phenomenal job of managing his minutes, but he could benefit form a few more fourth quarters sitting on the bench while Brown and the youngsters pad a 20 point lead.

With how well the Wizards have been playing, the Celtics really cannot afford to be dropping these games against lesser teams. They have an opportunity to finish off the season with maybe their best winning stretch of the year, while allowing the players that have been overextending themselves this season to make sure their legs are as fresh as possible come playoff time.

Having a schedule like this is a luxury in such a close race, and puts the Celtics in a position where they have a little more wiggle room to play under their standards than others. The problem is that lowering their standards has been a major problem this season, and they need to change that approach to close the season.

The Celtics have avoided losing too much ground with those struggles, and now is the time for them to be gaining ground. With their three next games against bottom dwelling lottery bound teams in the Wolves, Nets and 76ers, the Celtics need to make sure they get the separation they need to give Thomas and the starters the extra rest that could be the difference against the Wizards.

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With the difficulty of their schedule and the amount of home games they have left, the Celtics will be sorrily selling themselves short if they let the two seed out of their grasp. With how close matchups with the Wizards have been all year, and how much stronger they have been at home, the Celtics know the importance of closing the season out the right way, and avoiding the kind of unfortunate tiebreaker that took home court away last season.

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