Boston Celtics: A pivotal week and winnable games on horizon
The goodwill and momentum the Boston Celtics had going for them came to a screeching halt last Thursday against the Brooklyn Nets.
Snapped was a four-game winning streak for Boston, as was the exceptional bench play that had recently been on display. Fourth quarter woes were also present as the Nets blitzed the Celtics down the stretch to win 121-109.
Boston was outscored 13-3 in the final 4:17 after Jayson Tatum had brought the Celtics within two at 108-106.
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Tatum was a bright spot in the loss, scoring 31 points while adding five rebounds, three assists, and only two turnovers. As, too, was the return of Marcus Smart. Smart, who came off the bench, played only 21 minutes and scored 19 points.
The other starters had their moments but weren’t consistent enough against the talented Nets.
And it’s too bad the rest of the bench struggled, scoring only a total of ten points between four other players. The rotation was similar to the one that found success in recent games, but no bench player outside of Smart played more than 17 minutes.
A victory against the Nets would have been a huge way to kickstart the second half of the NBA season. Instead, the high note the Celtics wanted to start off with will have to wait.
It’s a good thing there’s a fantastic opportunity to do exactly that this upcoming week. It will also provide insight as to whether the Celtics can string together productivity or will continue to settle in mediocrity.
Four very winnable games are on the agenda, plus a meeting at home with the Utah Jazz. (Which is winnable, too, but a competitive game should be the expectation at this point.)
Boston Celtics: The next five games
For the first time this season, the Celtics will face the Houston Rockets on Sunday. The Rockets are a far different team than in seasons past and are currently mired in a 15-game losing streak.
Every conceivable sign points to the Celtics picking up a victory to begin the week. Houston could also be with only nine healthy players again like they were in a loss to the Utah Jazz.
Utah will be coming to Boston on the 16th, giving the Celtics another chance to show up against the league’s top team. The Jazz struggled in the week prior to the All-Star break, but also handled the Celtics with ease back in February.
A Boston team at full-strength should provide better results. A win would definitely be nice, but at this point, I want to see Boston competitive like they’ve been with other top teams in the league.
After Utah, the Celtics face a quick turnaround with a road game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on the 17th. Boston routed the Cavs 141-103 earlier this season in one of their most complete games. The Cavs will look slightly different with the return of Kevin Love and Larry Nance Jr. but a win should be in the cards for Boston.
The same can be said when the Celtics take on the Sacramento Kings on the 19th. Last time the teams met up, the Kings stole away a five-point victory. Back then, Sacramento was playing a bit better but — after winning their next two games after Boston — fell into a nine-game losing streak.
Here, too, the Celtics should be at full strength this time around. Both Smart and Kemba Walker missed the last match-up between the teams.
Rounding out this five-game stretch is a game at home against the Orlando Magic. The Celtics won the previous game against the Magic.
Orlando has been short-handed as of late and has lost seven in a row. The Magic play only three games before facing Boston on the 21st but could very well see that streak stretch to ten by then after facing New York, Miami, and Brooklyn.
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A 4-1 record for the Boston Celtics in the upcoming week is not a stretch. It’s believing that Boston can finally rise about the inconsistency. Since mid-January, there hasn’t been a whole to show that they can, but this would be the exact week to prove it.