Boston Celtics Can Start New Year With Good Cushion in East

The Boston Celtics are in a great position to have a comfortable lead in the East to start 2018

When the Boston Celtics went on their 16 game winning streak, along with the Cleveland Cavaliers struggling to start the season, it felt like it could be a much easier path than anticipated to the top seed. Then the situations flipped, the Cavaliers figured things out, and the Celtics could not play consistently well for any kind of extended stretch.

It got so bad that the Toronto Raptors had a moment in first place, and there were no signs of the Celtics turning things around. Now, the Celtics still have a lot of work to do before they can put that stretch behind them, but they sit with a 2.5 game lead over the Raptors and a 3.5 game lead over the Cavaliers.

With neither of them in action on New Year’s Eve, the Celtics can start the new year with a three and four game lead over the only real competition in the East, and that seemed almost impossible just about a week ago.

The Celtics finally got to practice and can be well rested, and they get one of their easiest games of the season to make sure they get that extra padding before we enter 2018. The Brooklyn Nets are going to be a hard working team that will cause problems, but there is no reason this game should even be close.

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They are coming off their most remarkable victory of the year against the Rockets, have relatively good health, and finally had the opportunity to make some adjustments from that disastrous stretch. Everything seems to be in place for the Celtics to be in one of their strongest positions of the season, just a few games after they were at their absolute low point on the season.

The Celtics really have been all over the place, with highs that could probably top any team in the league, and lows that made them look as bad as anyone. Now that they have seen both sides of this team, it is time to get things together, right when they need it most.

The Celtics close 2017 with a game against the Nets, and their second game of the new year will also be against them. Those two games mean the Celtics can really start getting the separation they need with the amount of games everyone else has in hands.

The catch, however, is that the game between those Nets matchups could be the most difficult of the season. Isaiah Thomas is expected to return for the Cavaliers, and that will initiate what could be the most fun race in the Eastern Conference we have seen in a while.

The Celtics have an opportunity to go into that Cavaliers game with a four game lead, with a win against them giving them a five game cushion. We have seen how bad the Celtics can get at their worst, and the Cavaliers could go on some crazy runs once Thomas is back. That being said, the Celtics always get better in the second half, and a five game lead just as the New Year starts could be enough to keep the Celtics in that position for the regular season.

The Celtics are in a fascinating position because nobody can be upset with a 29-10 record, but there is still a sense that this team has not fully bounced back from that stretch. They beat the Rockets, but they still had a bit of that shakiness that lead to so many bad loses.

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The Celtics still need to prove that they are bringing things together, and that they will use the practice time to make the adjustments. Wins against the Nets and a statement against the Cavaliers would put the Celtics in their best position of the season as they prepare to go on the real playoff push.

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