Boston Celtics Hardwood News: Top Spot Means Nothing Without Focus
The Boston Celtics held of the Miami Heat Sunday at TD Garden. The victory locked the team in a virtual tie with Cleveland for top spot in East.
While the Cleveland Cavaliers are resting players and basically cruising into the playoffs, the Boston Celtics have been taking a different approach.
Not only is Brad Stevens’ team taking advantage of an easy schedule, they are also collecting some valuable chemistry minutes for a starting five who haven’t played together much at all this regular season.
More from Chowder and Champions
- 3 Midseason Chaim Bloom Decisions That Have Killed the 2023 Red Sox
- 10 Patriots Who Will Be Cut by Tuesday’s Roster Deadline
- MLB Screws Red Sox Fans With Broadcast for Mookie Betts Return
- 3 Most Underpaid Celtics Heading Into the 2023 Season
- Red Sox Continue Rollercoaster Season With Massive Win
With Avery Bradley’s return Sunday night in the team’s 112-108 victory over the Miami Heat, that starting five is playing well going into the playoffs. This will help them finally advance in the playoffs and should actually help them be competitive in a series with the LeBron James led Cavaliers.
Another factor in advancing deep in the playoffs will be focus. Stevens stressed as much following the game. While the team is aware of their playoff position and their battle for the top spot, it means nothing if the team isn’t at the top of their game going down the stretch.
Jae Crowder, who scored a season-high 25 points in the victory, echoed Stevens following the game when it comes to team focus.
"“It’s pretty good,” Crowder said, via The Boston Herald. “We’re right there where we want to be at the last stretch of the regular season, so we’ll keep focusing one game at a time and control our own destiny.“That was a big game for us. We knew those guys were going to come in and play hard. We’re pretty much celebrating the win more than seeding.”"
The Boston Celtics improved their record to 48-26 with the victory and are just two games from reaching the 50-win plateau for the first time since the days of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo.
Notes & quotes
A great game for Amir: The Celtics got a great all-around performance from their starting center Sunday night.
Amir Johnson poured in 14 points on a perfect shooting night (6-6 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 1-1 FT). He also contributed with seven rebounds, five assists and two steals in 27 minutes of play. Contributions like that in the playoffs will make the Celtics that much tougher to beat in the playoffs.
Isaiah Thomas on team’s tie for the top spot in the Eastern Conference via USA Today Sports:
"“It’s just a tie, though, so it’s not that cool. Hopefully we can secure that spot and be No. 1. We’ve just got to control what we can control and take it game by game. We can’t really worry about what Cleveland’s doing or what other teams are doing.”"
Next: Boston Sports Alumni Connections to the March Madness NCAA Final Four
The Boston Celtics will next host the Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday night at TD Garden.