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Final Five: Who’s in the Boston Celtics crunch time lineup?

By Dashiell Davis

CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 23: Head coach Brad Stevens of the Boston Celtics reacts in the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers during Game Four of the 2017 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on May 23, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 23: Head coach Brad Stevens of the Boston Celtics reacts in the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers during Game Four of the 2017 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on May 23, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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Now that Summer League is over following the dismantling of a short-handed Boston Celtics squad at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks, it is now  time to set our sights towards the regular season.

Looking ahead, columns such as Hardware Hoodini Joshua Bateman’s “Boston Celtics Starting Lineup Options,” are all asking who will complete the starting line-up come November, but I think it is much more interesting to discuss who will close the games out, especially with the addition of Gordon Hayward.

As the summer league tournament has shown, some of the Celtics’ young players have made improvements, and may have at least a bit of the clutch gene (Jayson Tatum’s final shot in the first game vs the Philadelphia 76ers). I have started to wonder who will finish games for Brad Stevens’ Celtics this season and have come up with a few lineups.

Lineup 1:  Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Smart, Gordon Hayward, Jae Crowder, Al Horford

This is the most likely ending lineup. It has the consistent crew from last year with Hayward taking over for Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart covering the top guard.

SALT LAKE CITY, UT – APRIL 21:Chris Paul
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – APRIL 21:Chris Paul /

This lineup still probably has many of the same problems as last year though. While Hayward will be able to create his shot and is a 40 percent 3-pt shooter, losing Bradley, a very clutch 40 percent 3-pt shooter who always seemed to hit better than that in the last few minutes, will make Hayward’s addition not as much of an upgrade.

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Jae Crowder hit 40 percent from three last year during the regular season, but during the playoffs, that fell to 35 percent. Defensively, this line-up may not take a big step backwards if Smart can play somewhere close to Bradley’s first team defense.

Lineup 2: Thomas, Smart, Hayward, Jaylen Brown, Horford

This will probably not happen at the beginning of the year, but if Crowder struggles in some in-game situations, and Jaylen Brown continues to show offensive and defensive improvement and continued consistency in his corner 3pt shot, then this could definitely be the final five when playoffs role around.

Brown’s position could also be Marcus Morris, but until his day in court, there is too much uncertainty surrounding him to make a definitive call.

Lineup 3:  Thomas, Brown, Hayward, Jayson Tatum, Horford

This is the probably the Celtics’ best and most creative shooting line-up. It has strong shooters from at least four and possibly five positions assuming Brown’s improvement. Jayson Tatum has shown in summer league that he can be counted on down the stretch, at least against summer league players.

Unfortunately, this line-up as a crunch time line-up may have to wait for the following season, assuming Thomas is still around. Also, from a defensive perspective, it remains to be seen if Tatum can hold up against NBA bigs.

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Maybe injuries, trades, unforeseen skill development or other issues alter these line-ups, but assuming what we know now holds to be mostly true, these are your 2017-2018 Boston Celtics’ final five.

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