The Boston Celtics are 42-16 and are currently sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference, six games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for first. The final stretch of basketball is upon us as the Celtics have 24 games left in regular season play.
With the Celtics almost guaranteed to earn a playoff spot, they have an opportunity to repeat as champions. The team’s performance has been stellar so far, but they’ve had a little bit of a championship hangover like all teams before them.
Although their play has improved recently, the Celtics still need to answer these three questions if they want to fulfill their quest for a 19th championship.
1. Can the Celtics Stay Healthy Down the Stretch Again?
One of the reasons why the Celtics were able to dominate in both the regular season and playoffs last year is because they were healthy. While Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday missed time due to injuries, the Celtics were relatively healthy and lucky that none of their core players were sidelined for the year.
So far, the Celtics have had similar luck as the only significant injuries they’ve had were Porzingis missing the first month of the season recovering from his retinaculum injury and Holiday missing four consecutive games due to a right shoulder injury.
If the Celtics win the championship this year, it will be because their starters were healthy. The Celtics have been cautious with Porzingis, Holiday, and Al Horford throughout the season as they’ve given them rest days to keep their bodies fresh for the playoffs.
With the end of the season approaching, both the Celtics coaching and training staff must give their core rest days so that they’re 100% for the playoffs. That means giving Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown rest days in March as they aim to lock up a top spot in the Eastern Conference.