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Boston Celtics do not look injured and inexperienced

By Joshua Bateman

BOSTON, MA - MAY 3: Boston Celtics Jayson Tatum hangs around the rim after his slam dunk on a nice feed from teammate Terry Rozier III brought the crowd out of their seats and gave Boston a 103-97 lead, on their way to a 108-103 victory. Marcus Morris howls at left. The Boston Celtics hosted the Philadelphia 76ers in Game Two of their NBA Eastern Conference Semi Final playoff series at TD Garden in Boston on May 03, 2018. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MAY 3: Boston Celtics Jayson Tatum hangs around the rim after his slam dunk on a nice feed from teammate Terry Rozier III brought the crowd out of their seats and gave Boston a 103-97 lead, on their way to a 108-103 victory. Marcus Morris howls at left. The Boston Celtics hosted the Philadelphia 76ers in Game Two of their NBA Eastern Conference Semi Final playoff series at TD Garden in Boston on May 03, 2018. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /
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The Boston Celtics are not playing like a team that is injured and depending on a bunch of players on rookie contracts

When you looked at the situation the Boston Celtics were in coming into this series, there were a lot of obstacles that were supposed to slow them down. With injuries to their best players, and a bunch of guys on rookie contracts there to replace them, things did not look good against a hot Philadelphia 76ers team.

After two games, the Celtics have made it clear that you do not have to be concerned with their injuries and their experience. Because the players they are putting out on the court are incredibly talented, who are not fazed by any situation they might find themselves in these playoffs.

Throughout the whole season, the Celtics have been dealing with injuries, and players have been ready to step up. Not only have these guys been ready to dominate when give the opportunity, they are showing borderline all star caliber. Terry Rozier and Jayson Tatum have really stepped up, and they both look like they are ready to be the best player in a playoff series.

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The Celtics have not shown any of the signs of a player that is not comfortable with these situations, or cannot handle an increased role that is drastically different from the regular season. They just had one of the most remarkable comebacks of the playoffs, and they did it behind these young players taking the place of their injuries stars.

The only way you should be able to replace top injured talent with decent players is if they are young and on a rookie contract. The problem is that when that happens you are trusting young players that you cannot expect to be at their best in tough situations.

The Celtics do not look injured because their replacements are playing all star caliber basketball, and they do not look inexperienced because these young players have been here before, and embrace adversity as much as any other young core in the NBA.

The Celtics team is not playing like they have been dealing with the most inconsistent and chaotic situation in the NBA. No matter what happens, they are taking things in stride, while the 76ers are looking far too inexperienced.

Brad Stevens is always going to be a major part of this. He is the one that makes sure any player that sees the court is put in an advantageous situation to succeed. He is the one that inserts the game plans that makes things easier on them and harder on the 76ers.

Nevertheless, these players are executing, and they appear to be transforming expectations as each game passes. We genuinely do not know how good these guys are going to be, and watching them discover what they are capable of while winning playoff games is one of the great joys of the playoffs.

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Time will tell if the Celtics can keep this up, and it should just be a matter of time before the injuries and youth catches up to them. For now, however, the Celtics are playing phenomenal basketball with house money, and this is the best time to enjoy and embrace what a special run the Celtics are going on in the playoffs.

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