Boston Celtics Aim for Successful West Coast Trip
The Boston Celtics start their west coast swing with emotions and confidence high after Wednesday’s victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Between the failure to land a key player at the trade deadline and a 16-point shellacking at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks, some Boston Celtics fans were ready to leap into panic mode.
A 103-99 hard fought victory over the Cavs slammed the brakes on that notion.
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Now, the Celtics look to maintain momentum on a week-long, five-game west coast swing starting Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The game against Cleveland proved once again Isaiah Thomas and the Celtics are a rising entity in the eastern conference. There were opportunities for a lesser team to fold, to call it a night and go pack for the west coast.
These Celtics are continuing to prove–interior presence or not–that they are here to stay.
Boston is 2-2 in four games since the all-star break. If there were such things as mulligans in basketball, the game against Atlanta was certainly one. And it took a one-man, show stopping performance from DeMar DeRozan for Toronto to beat the Celtics.
In their two victories, the Celtics have held their opponents to under 100 points. This stat was a key ingredient to last season’s success. Efforts like this will be needed more and more as the season winds down.
In today’s three-point happy NBA, holding opponents to 100 points or less might not be the same threshold it once was. To look at it’s importance, though, one can look at a team like the Utah Jazz to see how it can carry weight in the win/loss column.
Part of the reason Boston hasn’t hit this threshold as often–to repeat an oft talked about gripe–is the lack of keeping the opposition off the offensive glass. Still, it’s good to see them grind out victories against good teams despite this glaring deficiency.
West Coast Dreaming
Though no game in the NBA is necessarily an easy one, the Boston’s trip begins with two considerable lightweights. Both the Lakers and the following opponent–the Phoenix Suns–currently anchor the bottom half of the standings.
The Celtics defeated the Lakers by six in Boston at the start of February. It will be Boston’s first game against Phoenix this season.
From there, Boston faces three teams jockeying for playoff positions. It starts with the Los Angeles Clippers, who Boston defeated by five earlier this season.
Finishing out the trip, the Celtics face two teams who they suffered 16-point losses to back in November. The Denver Nuggets are currently the 8th seed in the west, while the Golden State Warriors are in first. The Warriors are currently without injured star Kevin Durant.
The Return of Avery Bradley
Even if he’s on a minutes limit and played only 37 minutes in his two games back, it’s nice to see Avery Bradley on the court.
His ability to score, once he gets back to full speed, will help ease up some of the scoring lanes for Thomas.
It’s his rebounding and defense that has been sorely missed. Bradley was leading the team in rebounding and his defense on Kyrie Irving down the stretch was a big reason the Boston Celtics beat the Cavs.
Next: Avery Bradley Shows His Importance to Celtics
The second-seed in the eastern conference is up for Boston’s taking. By taking care of business on the road, the Celtics have a chance to cement their status. And with a little luck, might even sneak closer to overtaking the Cavs for the first seed.
A proposition that means returning home will be even sunnier than before.