In the first round the 2021 NBA playoffs, we at the Houdini believe 2 specific teams would be the ideal matchups for the Boston Celtics
Though, as a whole, the 2020-21 season has been quite a disappointment for the Boston Celtics, recently things have seemingly taken a turn for the better.
Over their last 12 outings, the shamrocks have won nine, including a current winning streak that has now stretched out to five and counting.
Once boasting a sub-.500 record whilst barely holding onto the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference standings, Boston now finds itself sitting soundly in the fifth seed with a record of 30-26 and are in a prime position to finish the year in the top-five amongst their conference peers and head into the postseason with home-court advantage.
While we still have 16 games remaining between now and the start of the playoffs, we at the Houdini have already begun to look into potential first-round matchups that the Cs could realistically wind up facing.
In such a tightly contested conference, where the difference between the fourth seed and the ninth seed is roughly four wins, there are be a multitude of different scenarios that could wind up happening in regard to final positioning, which means the Boston Celtics could realistically end up playing any of the teams out east in round one.
However, of all their potential opponents, we at the Houdini believe there are 2 teams in specific that should be deemed as the most ideal matchups:
Boston Celtics ideal matchup No. 1) Charlotte Hornets
First up on our list we have the likes of current Boston Celtics player Kemba Walker’s former team and former Boston Celtics players, Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier’s current team, the Charlotte Hornets.
Perhaps one of the biggest surprises from this season as a whole, Buzz City came into 2020-21 with low expectations and somewhat of a negative perception after finishing out 2019-20 with just 23 total wins and shelling out a hefty $120 million contract to the oft-injured and highly inconsistent, Hayward, in the offseason.
However, through 54 games played the Hornets have managed to shed their lowly status, as they’ve remained competitive throughout the campaign, owning the eighth seed in the conference, while their free-agent acquisition has seemingly lived up to his payday, producing at his highest levels since his 2017 All-Star days (19.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists on 42 percent shooting from deep).
Looking to break their four-year postseason drought, the Hornets could realistically still find themselves playing come mid-May and, with this, square off against the Celtics in a first-round bout.
Should this happen, by all accounts, we believe Boston would end up advancing rather quickly.
Looking at how the Cs are constructed and how they play, perhaps the most challenging obstacle a team could throw their way would be in the form of a physically dominating and skillful big man.
In Charlotte’s case, what they’re working with down low revolves around the likes of Cody Zeller, Bismack Biyombo, and P.J. Washington, which, with all due respect, is not all that menacing of a unit.
In terms of star power and overall talent, the Celtics again find themselves with the overwhelming advantage, as they have two current All-Stars in Jayson Tatum & Jaylen Brown and a former All-Star and All-NBA selection in Walker, whereas Charlotte as a whole has just one All-Star appearance (Hayward) from everyone’s careers combined.
Lastly, the team’s two best players in Hayward and Rozier were former players in Boston, which means familiarity with their games could be used as an advantage on the defensive side of the ball.
All things considered, a matchup against the Hornets would be one of the easier first-round scenarios for the Cs.
Boston Celtics ideal matchup No. 2) New York Knicks
The fact that the New York Knicks are a legitimate contender to make the postseason this year is absolutely astonishing and, in all seriousness, head coach Tom Thibodeau should be commended for the work he’s done with turning around this franchise.
That said, even with these kind words, by no means do we at HH believe this team as currently constructed poses any real threat to make a deep run should they actually make the playoffs and, should they square off against the Boston Celtics in round one, their series would likely end rather quickly.
This is not really an insult to the Knickerbockers but, rather, a testimony to just how much talent the Cs have on their roster.
From Jayson Tatum to Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown to Marcus Smart, the Cs have numerous players in tow who can take over a game at a moment’s notice.
The Knicks, on the other hand, really have just Julius Randle who fits into this category, and even he hasn’t really proven capable of playing such a role to guide the team through a seven-game series.
The bulk of New York’s offensive scheme runs through the All-Star, for he serves as somewhat of a point-forward within their scheme.
Getting up into Randle’s airspace and cutting off the majority of passing lanes — which, of course, is easier said than done but, nonetheless, are just two objectives to zero in on — would force him into playing “hero ball”, which has not proven to be sustainable for both the big man and the ball club.
Ranked dead last in pace and 22nd in possessions, pushing the tempo and forcing the Knicks into playing a bit faster could also work in Boston’s favor, as it likely would result in a higher-frequency of mistakes and overall sloppier play.
In terms of simple game planning, the Boston Celtics could win this series with ease by forcing the Knicks to shoot from a distence (rank 28th in 3-point attempts), picking up the pace, and taking away passing opportunities from Randle.
Outside of such schematics, Beantown’s starpower alone gives them the overwhelming edge against New York and, unless they go cold on offense, this hypothetical series could easily find itself ending in a sweep.