The Boston Celtics did not have to do much to beat the tanking Magic in Orlando on Friday. In fact, the only thing Boston should be worried about now are the number of injuries on the roster.
The Boston Celtics are virtually locked into the number two seed in the Eastern Conference. Barring a Toronto Raptors meltdown in the last few weeks, the championship belt in the East will change hands once again. Every team on the Atlantic Coast will have to go through foreign land to punch a ticket into the NBA Finals.
For the Celtics, that means a number of things. For one, it will make them pay very close attention to the standings in the coming weeks. Boston should be very interested in not only who they would playing in the first round, but the second round as well.
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As of today, the Indiana Pacers have a half game lead over LeBron James and Cleveland for the number three seed. Now, Indiana has been very good against the Celtics this year. But no one on Earth can tell me they would rather see LeBron James in the second round over Victor Oladipo. Let’s go Pacers!
Boston will also be paying attention to who gets the number seven seed. Currently, Miami and Milwaukee are tied with Philadelphia two games ahead of both. Personally, I would not be scared against either the Heat or the Bucks.
Playing the Greek Freak is not a perfect scenario, but the Celtics should have enough guys to guard Giannis to make the rest of the Bucks try to win the series. In a series against the Heat, the only thing that would scare me is a game seven in Boston. Kelly Olynyk would turn back into a Canadian monster with a terrifying man bun.
However, the most important result of the Celtics all but knowing their playoff position is the number of injuries they have to deal with. Instead of talking about that boring game last night, here is how the four injured Boston Celtics will affect the rest of the season.
Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving has been dealing with a nagging knee injury for the entire season. In fact, Danny Ainge said Thursday that Irving will need minor surgery at the end of the season. Not the best thing to hear.
However, in the short term, he will be available for the playoffs and probably the end of the regular season. Hopefully, his play will not be affected by a large margin. The Celtics need Kyrie if they were to have any hope of going back to the Finals. No one can replace what he does.
Right now, Kyrie can use up as much rest as he needs. With no real battle for the one seed, there is no rush to bring him back. As long as he is close to 100% when the playoffs begin, nothing major should be changed.
Daniel Theis
After Irving’s potential surgery was announced, news broke that Daniel Theis underwent surgery for a torn meniscus. He will miss the rest of the season and a good portion of offseason training time.
Theis wasn’t a huge factor in the Celtics rotation this year, but he was effective. He was a hybrid of the two other centers Boston has on the roster, Aron Baynes and Greg Monroe. Theis wasn’t as good defensively as Baynes, but he did the stretch the floor and grab offensive rebounds. He didn’t have a dominant post-game like Monroe, but he could block shots and play good position defense.
Even more, he was a young player getting ready for his first appearance in the playoffs. If Theis is a part of this current team’s plan, the experience would have been more helpful than anything else. Now, the Boston Celtics are locked in to the centers they have now. Unless, of course, the injury bug runs its course again.
Jaylen Brown
After a scary fall in Minnesota, Jaylen Brown should be lucky he isn’t out for the year. He walked away with “only” a concussion and nothing was broken. It could have been a lot worse.
Brown has missed the last three games and could be evaluated next week. Like Irving, there is no reason to rush Brown back into playing. Even in the first round of the playoffs, if he is still a little shaky, he could still be sitting out. Concussions are a scary experience and every precaution should be taken before Brown suits up again.
If, in fact, he does miss time in the playoffs, his play would be missed. Jaylen is the best slasher on the team and plays the best wing defense of anybody in the starting lineup. He will usually guard the other team’s best shooting guard or small forward. If he is unable to play, that means Jayson Tatum or Marcus Morris will have to guard the potential opponents of Victor Oladipo and/or LeBron James.
Matchups and skill set aside, Jaylen Brown deserves to play in the postseason this year. After Gordon Hayward went out, Brown has been the most consistent forward on the roster. Instead of just one year, he looks five years older compared to his rookie season. The guy you saw standing in the corner against Chicago and Washington in last year’s playoffs is no more.
Marcus Smart
This is one hurts. Just after coming back from a hand injury, Marcus Smart tore a ligament in his thumb and will reportedly miss 6-8 weeks. This timetable puts him out until the second round or maybe even the third round of the playoffs.
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Smart is very important to the success of this Celtics team. He is far and away the most important player on the bench. Marcus does everything and more you could ask for on defense. He makes winning plays. If you are down 2 without the ball, Smart comes up with the steal. When the game is tied and the ball is on the floor, Marcus Smart is the one who comes up with it.
He is the perfect version of the cliche “he does things that don’t show up on the stat sheet”. If Smart can’t come back for a matchup with Cleveland or Indiana, things look significantly worse.
Hopefully, Marcus Smart has not played his last game in a Boston uniform. Going into this offseason, the Boston Celtics have a big choice coming with Smart. He is a restricted free agent that many teams would love to sign to an offer sheet. I just hope the Celtics realize he is worth every penny.
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What’s Next?
After the Snoozefest in Orlando on Friday night, the Boston Celtics will visit New Orleans on Sunday. Following an OT victory in Boston earlier in the year, the Pelicans have a chance to sweep the season series for the first time since 2014. Please, Anthony Davis, I know you have one bad game in you.