Boston Celtics May Not Be As Limited As We All Thought

The playoffs are upon us, don’t count out the Celtics making a huge run

The Boston Celtics, much like the Golden State Warriors, run small-ball lineups as effectively as they are often. Obviously, the two teams run different styles but that is mostly, if not all, predicated by their respective rosters.

The Celtics run small, oddly enough, with an emphasis on defense, while the Warriors run small with offense being the main focus. However, when the Warriors run small they are not sacrificing as much as the Celtics.The mismatch in size versus a lot of other teams forces Boston into trying unique lineups.

The defensive prowess of Boston is held in the front court by the likes of Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart, and Jae Crowder. This is why the Celtics can operate small so frequently, attempting to find imbalances on the side of the adversary. This plays to Boston’s strengths, not allowing other teams to abuse them in the paint with their lack of size. The Celtics collectively have the shortest average height of any NBA team, yet still rank sixth in the league in rebounds per game.

Coaching offense in the NBA is really not that hard of a concept, high pick-and-rolls with shooters surrounding the perimeters, right? One of the most important positions on the floor is not the man standing at the three-line, merely to space the floor, it is the seven-foot big man setting the screen and rolling to the basket, awaiting a pass or securing his spot in the paint for a rebound or maybe an alley-oop. It is the giant in the middle whose presence is felt most prominently, not to mention the defensive side of the ball, where his existence is needed most.

Rim protectors are apparently not easy to come by if you were to ask Danny Ainge; the only real piece the Celtics are missing. Nonetheless, this shortfall may prove otherwise. Boston’s size is not conventional, when two perimeter players come off the bench and add roughly ten rebounds per game, it is safe to say the team is not small. The roster holds most of its effective height in the guard and forward positions despite a below six foot Isaiah Thomas.

In baseball it is said that good pitching beats good hitting, especially when the playoffs begins. In playoff basketball, good offense beats good defense. It is not as cut and dry as I made it out to be, but no amount of grit and hustle will be able to stop the elite players that the postseason seems to attract.

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Clearly, the Celtics are the definition of hustle and grit and they have proven they can win with such an attitude. Though suggesting Boston can sustain such an attitude while scoring more than the opponent is hard to fathom. Without that Timofey Mozgov or Steven Adams presence down low to play at least 20 minutes and provide a solid barrier between the basket and a high-speed drive towards the paint, it may leave Boston reeling. Unless the length of ball handling Evan Turner and Marcus Smart can take maximum advantage of their marks, securing misses off the rim may seem too tall a task.

The decision to out run, say the Charlotte Hornets, will pay dividends and score the Celtics to round two. These last regular season games are very important to make sure Boston draws a favorable match-up on their home floor. If this gritty Celtics roster remains as poised as they did versus Golden State, perhaps the addition of Amir Johnson can give Boston a fighting chance against whomever they fetch in round two. I may even go as far as to say the Celtics could make it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.

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That outcome is entirely on how long this Celtics core can remain focused and collected during high intensity bouts with the likes of Toronto or Cleveland. The two most important pieces Boston has to offer come off the bench in Smart and Turner. If they can elevate their game, which is completely realistic, it could propel the Celtics further than most of us thought.