Okay, let’s try this again Boston Celtics fans.
Three nights ago, for the opening contest of the NBA season’s second half, I penned a piece about why the C’s nationally televised contest against the Nets was a must-win game. Needless to say, just because a game is a must-win, doesn’t mean that the good guys “must-win”.
To make matters worse, following the loss, Brooklyn superstar Kyrie Irving had to once again take the low road to take shots at the media:
Kyrie Irving on hugging former Celtics teammates postgame: "Big surprise, huh, to a lot of people. All that shit-talking about me and all the relationships I have with every teammate of mine. I’m glad we get to see it every single game that I’ve got some great people out here.”
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) March 12, 2021
The game was extra personal considering Wyc Grousbeck’s recent comments praising Irving and calling his departure a key reason why the Celtics are struggling this year. After pouring in 40 points against Boston, he was certainly the reason for their struggles on Thursday night.
That loss now creates a troubling situation for tonight. While the Houston Rockets–the league’s third-worst team record-wise–are not exactly a gatekeeper to initiation to the contenders club, a loss would be catastrophic.
Here are 5 specific reasons HH sees tonight’s game as a must-win as well:
Reason #1 why the Boston Celtics must win tonight: Descending playoff seed
Instead of attempting the climb up the standings in their first game back, the Cs put themselves in a situation where clinging onto a home-field advantage in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals is far more likely.
The Heat are clawing ahead of them after a slow start and the Hornets and Knicks are out to prove they belong in the playoff picture after both winning yesterday. If Boston isn’t careful, they will be playing in the play-in tournament for a postseason position.