With the regular season winding down, the Celtics are locked in a battle for the two seed in the East and homecourt advantage in the second round of the playoffs. They’re coming off two impressive wins over the Thunder and Hawks, with a chance to make it three on Sunday against the Hornets.
But based on their loaded injury report, it may be better to prioritize what matters most: health. Sure, it would be great to win out and capture the two seed. Their second-round opponent will be a very good team, likely the Knicks or Cavaliers, and starting and ending that series in TD Garden would be a huge boost.
Yet, that’s a boost that means almost nothing if the team isn’t as healthy and fresh as possible, and based on recent injury reports, that doesn’t appear to be the case. If there is any actual doubt about the players on the report, Boston needs to be smart and safe and rest these guys as much as possible before the playoffs.
If that means dropping to third, or even fourth, so be it. Home court is great, but at full strength, the Celtics have proven they can beat any team, any place. If the roster, and especially the top players, are compromised in any way, that becomes a very difficult task.
Jaylen Brown tendinitis is a scary situation
The most notable name listed is the team’s MVP candidate, Jaylen Brown. He missed Friday’s game, which seemed like a rest spot, but was ruled out with achilles tendinitis, and is questionable again. That sounds like something more serious than simple rest or load management, and if JB is dealing with an actual injury, he should absolutely be resting until that’s fully healed.
The other players listed as questionable are Derrick White, Neemias Queta, and Jayson Tatum, and the same is true for all of them; if there is any real concern, they should sit. It’s that simple. Tatum has played 35+ minutes in back-to-back games, so a scheduled rest day makes a lot of sense for him.
White and Queta have been warriors this season, so hopefully these are just some issues of nagging soreness, but still, the same sentiment holds. There’s no reason not to give these guys a day off and steal some extra rest as the calendar is about to flip to April.
Some fans may be upset to see the Celtics “punt” on a game against a good team that beat them badly in Boston earlier in March, but that’s just silly. For one, Joe Mazzulla has proven that his team has a chance regardless of who is on the floor, and the stay-ready guys would certainly relish the opportunity.
Furthermore, this is all about the big picture, and now, the goal is to win the championship. They’ve gotten close enough that it has become a real conversation, and now every single decision needs to be made with that in mind. We’d love to see the Celtics and Hornets go at it at full strength, but there are much bigger, more important games to come, and if the team isn’t healthy, they won’t have a chance.