Boston Celtics analyst jousts with Richard Jefferson over who east’s top team is
BSS’ Dan Greenberg and Richard Jefferson went back and forth on Twitter regarding the latter’s comment that there is a “big gap” between the Bucks and the Boston Celtics at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, on the former NBA champion/ESPN analyst’s NBA power rankings.
Saying the Bucks depth is why there is a "big gap" between MIL and BOS when that depth played a huge role in why the Bucks lost by 40 is very, very funny https://t.co/Shmu8J63ZI
— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) April 3, 2023
I watched the gap. I also watch a team that didn’t have Khris Middleton for the 1st 3rd of the season and Giannis and the supporting cast stayed right on Boston’s heels and the minute they got healthy they overtook #1. I like Milwaukee depth by a large margin. I don’t judged 1GM https://t.co/fMzrq1U2XX
— Richard Jefferson (@Rjeff24) April 3, 2023
Jefferson’s justification that Milwaukee is superior to Boston with a healthy Khris Middleton was similar to CBS Sports’ Brad Botkin’s analysis. “A potential Boston-Milwaukee conference finals would be a war, and though I’ve favored Boston in most of my analysis throughout the season, I am leaning Milwaukee now,” Botkin prefaced before saying, “They’ve just been so great over the last six weeks, and I can’t ignore that Milwaukee likely wins last season with a healthy Middleton.”
Robert Williams III has missed any many games for Boston Celtics that Khris Middleton has missed for Bucks in 2022-23
While the excuse that Middleton has missed a ton of games is often deployed in the Bucks-Celtics debate during the 2022-23 season, a retort Cs fans can use is that Robert Williams III has missed nearly as many games — something that Greenberg pointed out in a follow-up tweet to Jefferson:
Then what about the game where the Celts bench took the MIL starters to OT?
— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) April 3, 2023
And yes, they did close the gap. That's true! It also came at a time when the Celts were missing players.
Celts also have 45 games without Rob compared to the 46 without Khris.... https://t.co/9ACX1vyYi8
Middleton has been an objectively more impactful player in his career on both ends of the floor, but Williams’ presence in double-big lineups with Al Horford defined the C’s identity during the franchise’s run to the 2022 NBA Finals. While that lineup has been less effective this season, the “Time Lord” is a key component of a Celtics frontcourt that’d need to rely on an aging Blake Griffin and Luke Kornet to survive postseason stretches without him.