Are the Boston Celtics Title Contenders?

March 8th, 2022- The Boston Celtics have posted a historic turnaround since the start of the new year, going 22-8 since January 1st. This raises the question, can the Boston Celtics banner 18 dreams become reality for this surging green team? Let’s take a step back to analyze this team and what has got them to this point.

Boston Defense

Individually, these Celtics are stout and gritty. They have four guys in the top 15 in defensive rating – those being Al Horford at fourth, Jayson Tatum at 10th, and Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown at 12th and 13th respectfully. As a team, they place second with a rating of 106.4. Only behind Golden State’s 106; however, the numbers won’t tell the tale. The communication on switches and fastbreak defense help suffocate teams to where easy buckets no longer exist.

the Celtics defense is so special pic.twitter.com/ZSvKrSazvQ

— ᴊᴏʜɴɴʏ☘️ (@BantonioClown) March 6, 2022

Jayson Tatum

Tatum usually posts these rough stretches of shooting to start his seasons and this year was the worst. A 43.8 field goal percentage this season is even after the tear he has been on. 27.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists for the young superstar since January 1st to go along with the third-best record in that time frame. Sunday afternoon, Tatum outdueled Kevin Durant and put up 54 points to push the Celtics past the Nets. Jayson Tatum achieving top-ten player status, or at least talks of it, has helped the Celtics title chances immensely knowing this star-driven league.

Jayson Tatum’s 54 point game against Kevin Durant was a masterpiece ? pic.twitter.com/kHexUU0m7k

— Celtics Junkies (@Celtics_Junkies) March 7, 2022

Coaching

Celtics’ Head Coach Ime Udoka struggled to find a steady rotation to start the year. Udoka would constantly run a lineup featuring Smart and Schroeder when the two could not co-exist. Udoka played some bench guys inconsistently so their player development was stunted. As of late, Coach decided to role with playoff lineups and keep it mostly to his top eight guys.

Smart, Brown, Tatum, Horford, and Williams III to start. Off the bench comes White, Williams, and that third guy is still an experiment. Second-year Point guard Payton Pritchard has received the most minutes consistently. Daniel Theis is a solid big to have in when Horford and Williams III reach foul trouble. Aaron Nesmith provides good hustle and defense but could use more consistency on the jumper. Ime Udoka has figured out his rotations and the Celtics have been locked in ever since.

Title Run Odds- The Celtics are currently +1860 to win the NBA Finals, according to Vegas Insider. Boston Celtics Banner 18 is certainly possible. While they sit fifth in the Eastern Conference, this team is hot and looking to put the paws on anyone. With guys who have playoff experience and peaking at the right time, look out Miami, Philadelphia, and the rest of the east. Here come the Celtics.

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