The Celtics have passed every test imaginable this season with flying colors. Many thought this would be a gap year, and the team’s best path forward was tanking for a lottery pick after all the offseason departures and Jayson Tatum’s devastating injury.
Instead, things have gone in the complete opposite direction; they’ve overachieved all season long, now carrying a 39-20 record and holding the two seed in a wide-open Eastern Conference as the calendar flips to March.
Boston has answered every question, but now they are dealing with much bigger questions, about whether or not this team can actually contend for a title. If there’s one area they’ve struggled, it’s playing against the other elite teams in the league.Â
Despite their success, the Celtics are just 1-3 against the Pistons, 1-2 against the Knicks, 0-1 against the Spurs, 0-1 against the T-Wolves, 1-1 against the Rockets, and 0-2 against the Nuggets.
Celtics have 6th hardest strength of schedule remaining
And now, it’s time for the Celtics to face some tests as they have the sixth-hardest remaining schedule and will be challenged against the league’s best this month. Between Sunday, March 8th, and Wednesday, March 25th, Boston will play 9 games, including at Cleveland, at San Antonio, at Oklahoma City, vs. Minnesota, and vs. Oklahoma City.
That’s five games against tier-one competitors, where the Celtics need to prove themselves. The regular season and playoffs are a different animal, but the Cs need to build good habits against the best teams and show that they can go toe-to-toe with the competition they’ll be facing in May and June.
If they don’t stack up, it’s better to learn that now and try to make adjustments before it’s too late. But with how well this team has played all season, the hope is that they’re in a nice rhythm now and can establish some positive results against the best teams in the NBA.
Tough stretch likely to coincide with return of Jayson Tatum
As if that wasn’t enough, there’s a very good chance we’ll also see the return of Jayson Tatum just before, or during that brutal stretch of games. On the one hand, the Cs need Tatum to be a true title contender this season, but on the other hand, reintegrating him into these critical measuring-stick games is a tough ask.
If anyone is up to it, it’s Tatum, and besides, we’ve been preaching all along that he shouldn’t return until he’s 100% ready. That readiness should hold up whether he’s facing the Kings and Wizards or the Thunder and Spurs. If he’s ready, he’s ready, and what better way to test himself than against elite contenders?
One way or another, we’re going to have a much better idea of where this team stands after March 25th. If they struggle against these good teams and Tatum doesn’t return, it’s going to be hard to convince ourselves that the team can truly win a title this year.
But if Tatum comes back and looks good, and the Celtics are able to pull out some signature win against the class of the league, then all bets are off, and we can officially start planning the parade route.