The second half of the season is here, Boston Celtics fans. With it comes a hint of optimism with a general fear of the unknown. Simultaneously.
The Cs have caught up to the #4 seed after falling two games below .500 just a few weeks ago. They can get there again just as quickly if they aren’t careful.
Two of the first three games the Cs have are against two of the top five teams in the league record-wise, including a matchup against the league-leading Utah Jazz–who is currently pacing the association with the most wins (27) and single-digit losses (9), the only such team to have achieved such feat at the halfway mark.
Before that, though, a matchup against the Brooklyn Nets (and a Sunday night affair with the Houston Rockets) awaits. Brooklyn is a half-game behind the Philadelphia 76ers right now in the Eastern Conference for the top seed and could surpass Philly tonight if the Nets can get by Boston and Chicago beats a Sixers squad missing both Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid due to COVID-19 protocols.
For the Cs, tonight’s game is a must-win. Here are 5 reasons that have brought the Houdini to that conclusion:
Reason tonight’s Boston Celtics game is must-win #1: Establishing a strong second half to the season
The first half of the season was…well, one to forget. To be fair, it’s one that NBA as a whole would likely want to put behind them, considering the almost weekly occurrence of several games being wiped off the schedule due to COVID-19 concerns.
The Cs were hit hard with health and safety protocol-related absences in addition to injuries to key players in Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart.
A win in Brooklyn tonight would help wipe that slate clean and begin the second half of the season free of the negative momentum of the season’s first act.
Reason tonight’s Boston Celtics game is must-win #2: Capitalizing on Marcus Smart’s return
Marcus Smart has been out for 18 games and in that span, the Cs struggled to find consistency and fell off their top-3 spot in the Eastern Conference hierarchy. If the east was even half-decent this season, Boston would have been sent tumbling down out of the top half of the conference.
Going 7-11 since Smart left the floor against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center, Boston could use the natural morale boost that the gritty guard’s return to the floor brings the Cs. Anytime a player of his caliber returns, the team gets an on-court boost, but Smart’s contributions go beyond the floor.
Health-willing, the Cs won’t have another key Smart return to capitalize on. Hopefully, his presence won’t be squandered tonight in Brooklyn.
Reason tonight’s Boston Celtics game is must-win #3: Kevin Durant’s absence
Just as Smart’s return can’t be squandered, neither can the opportunity to prey on a Nets team that will be missing Kevin Durant.
Apparently, Durant will miss significant game-time down the stretch of the 2020-21 season:
Kevin Durant's hamstring injury will sideline him more than a month. The Nets will get another look at the injury next week and will also keep Blake Griffin out Thursday while they get him ready to play again.https://t.co/Z4SbhrTq2j
— Brian Mahoney (@briancmahoney) March 11, 2021
Brooklyn’s morale could be affected, and thus Boston has a chance to kick the Nets while they are down.
Reason tonight’s Boston Celtics game is must-win #4: The trade deadline is coming
Several Boston Celtics should see the next few weeks as an audition to be in the team’s plans for this offseason. If things go well enough, perhaps a longer-term role could be in play, but for now, the Cs need to assess what pieces belong around Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum
Guys like Tristan Thompson and Daniel Theis represent the largest non-“Team Shamrock” salaries on the roster, meaning their deals are the most likely to be traded away in any transaction for a non-star contributor.
Showing out against one of the larger frontcourts in the east would be a statement for the duo, who could be easily scapegoated as starters as the reason why the Celtics have struggled so far in 2021.
Reason tonight’s Boston Celtics game is must-win #5: Kyrie Irving is on the other team
Let’s not forget that not long ago, Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck had the following to say about Kyrie Irving (transcript courtesy of USA’s FTW):
"“Well I would say I am disappointed, but I would also say that in those four years we’ve been to the conference finals 3 times. So it hasn’t been a wasteland, it’s been to the final four…But you know, we thought Kyrie would stay forever and lead us all the way. He’s on maybe the best team in the league right now and so, that’s that. And that change touched off a lot of stuff and we weren’t able to maybe recruit free agents in the same way and, you know, there’s a bit of a domino effect. But it is what it is.”"
That comment lit a fire under the Cs, who have won four straight since Grousbeck blamed Irving’s departure for the current struggles. If they can beat Irving on his home-floor, Boston could prove that they are just fine without the defected All-NBA floor general.