Well, our Boston Celtics couldn’t avoid the play in tournament, but they did avoid an elimination game in the NBA Play-in tournament and earned the right to play the uber-talented Brooklyn Nets in the 1st round of the NBA playoffs.
The Cs dominated the 2nd half, and their two starts played like stars. They played one of their most complete games of the season in the biggest game of the season.
Needless to say, this was a much-needed win for our Shamrocks. I know a series win against the loaded Brooklyn Nets is a long shot, and missing the playoffs could have helped the boost the Celtics draft pick.
But this team needed to make the playoffs, and even if they missed the playoffs, the Celtics landing a top tier player in this year’s draft would have been long shot. No one knows what will happen next, but I am not completely counting the Cs out in the 1st round.
Brad Stevens coached teams have a history of pulling off the unexpected wins in the postseason. Look at his two final four teams at Butler, and you need an example from the NBA look no farther than the run to the Eastern Conference Finals minus Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward.
At the very least, these playoffs will give Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker another opportunity to shine in big games, and give many of the young Boston Celtics valuable postseason experience. After this game there is a lot to take away, and these are the 3 biggest we came up with: