Boston Celtics: 2 keys to finishing the 2021-22 season strong

After an extremely disappointing start to the season, the Boston Celtics have shot themselves into playoff contention. Sitting at 47-30, the C’s could finish anywhere from the first seed to fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.

With that being said, after a difficult loss to the Miami Heat, Boston’s momentum may be trending in the wrong direction.

It’s clear that the team, even without Robert Williams, is talented enough to beat anyone on any given night. However, going into the playoffs on a downward spiral would decrease the team’s championship odds tremendously.

Boston has five games left in the season, two at home and three on the road.

They’ll play their final two home games this weekend, facing off against Indiana and Washington. Then, the C’s play Chicago, Milwaukee, and Memphis to close out their season, all on the road. This stretch could be extremely difficult depending on if teams are resting or not.

The Celtics need to find a rhythm in their final five games of this triumphant turnaround. Let’s look at 2 keys to finishing the regular season off on a strong note:

Boston Celtics key No. 1) Figuring out the rotation without Rob

With Robert Williams slated to miss a minimum of four weeks with his torn meniscus, the Boston Celtics have adopted a next-man-up mentality, as Daniel Theis has seen extended playing time over the past two games. Against the Heat, Theis played 17 minutes as the eighth man in the rotation, with Derrick White and Payton Pritchard also coming off the bench.

Grant Williams has now slid into the starting lineup, playing the traditional power forward position, with Al Horford manning the paint.

Horford is a more than capable starting center on both ends of the court, but the amount of defensive mishaps Time Lord covered up is insurmountable.

The team’s spacing improves with Grant taking the spot of a non-shooter, but compared to the healthy starting lineup, the performance difference is drastic. The starting five held a +24.3 net rating in 907 possessions, while the current lineup has a -8.8 net rating in only 127 possessions.

Boston needs to find a healthy balance in their frontcourt rotation, as they only have three playable bigs. Even then, Theis has been taken advantage of in past playoff appearances, specifically against the Heat and Bam Adebayo in the bubble.

As a backup option, his role will be more limited, but he’ll still need to see the floor in certain situations.

Coach Ime Udoka needs to find a lineup without Robert Williams that works, or else their February and March dominance will never be recaptured.

Boston Celtics key No. 2) Getting your best players the ball

Marcus Smart has exceeded expectations as the main ball-handler this season, making the right pass consistently in the half-court offense. In Toronto, without Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Horford, or Williams, Smart was one of the only above-average offensive options.

He was essentially given the keys to the offense, hitting 10 of his 26 shot attempts in the team’s 115-112 overtime loss. While Smart did play isolation basketball down the final stretch of the game, it’s difficult to criticize him in this situation, as he doesn’t have superstars to kick the ball out to.

Unfortunately, in the team’s subsequent game against Miami, Smart fell into some bad habits, taking ten attempts from beyond the arc, the most on the team.

He’s become a much-improved shooter as the season’s gone on, but he should never be taking more attempts from deep than the likes of Tatum or Brown.

Specifically against Miami, the C’s struggled against the Heat’s zone, failing to get the ball to Tatum in a productive position.

Ultimately, the key to Boston’s playoff success will be the continued ascension of JT and JB into superstardom. Everyone on the floor needs to realize that, getting them the ball in the proper moments.

Of course, Smart is a Defensive Player of the Year favorite and a suitable distributor for the Celtics’ offense. But to end the year strong, he’ll have to go back to his stellar play that got Boston here in the first place.