The Boston Celtics have good and bad news on the injury front
The Boston Celtics were initially concerned about a concussion for Kyrie Irving, but it has been announced that he suffered a minor facial fracture (Via ESPN). The minor part is quite good news, but it will keep him out of the lineup against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. The Celtics were able to get the win after he left last game, but they cannot perform like that and expect to beat the Raptors.
The good news is that Al Horford has been upgraded to probable (Via CBSSports). The Celtics will feel the loss of Irving on every play, but Horford’s importance on both ends could give them a chance against the Raptors. The key will be limiting their mistakes, and being at their best on defense, and Horford always helps in both those areas.
The Celtics are used to getting by through injuries in this winning streak, but Irving had been one of the consistent presence’s. Irving makes remarkable plays every single game, that no one else in this league can match. Irving has the kind of impact that other players cannot even attempt to have, so the Celtics will have to adjust in a completely different way with him out of the lineup.
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They are happy they can still run the offense through Horford, but players are going to have to hit shots. Irving bails the Celtics out so many times with his ability to manufacture points, and if they fall into a shooting slump there is no option like him to replace that.
The Celtics have been able to overcome every problem that has come their way this season, but they have also bailed themselves out of a lot of performances. Last game against the Hornets was a miserable performance, similar to the one against the Lakers.
The Celtics have been dominating with defense, but they will not be beating a team like the Raptors playing the way they did in those loses.
The good news is that Brad Stevens has some time to prepare to be without Irving. The are not adjusting on the fly in the middle of the game, and that should help them avoid falling down so quickly like they did last game.
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The Celtics will never be at their best without Irving, but having Horford back makes a huge difference in finding a way to be better than whatever team they are facing on a given night, and that is what has made their season so special so far.