March 28th, 2022 – After another dominating win on Sunday, the Boston Celtics hold the slimmest lead in the East. Sounds crazy considering just two months ago, they were sitting outside the play-in. Despite their recent success, teams want to avoid the one or two seed because the Brooklyn Nets could end up in either seed. Let’s take a better look at why the Celtics should not head-hunt for a matchup and play with the hand they’re dealt with.
Celtics Should Be Favored
Regardless of who they draw first round, the Celtics should be the favorite to win. They hold the fourth-best record in basketball despite starting the first 41 games at 20-21. Now at 47-28, that is a 27-7 stretch of basketball. The team is peaking at the right time and hitting on all cylinders.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have asserted themselves as one of the league’s premier duos after another huge milestone. The two become only the third duo to put up 25 points apiece in six straight games. Last to do it was Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.
Tatum & Brown vs. Minnesota
— ????? ☘️ (@CelticsRiley) March 28, 2022
Jayson Tatum
▫️34 Points
▫️6 Assists
▫️5 Rebounds
▫️12-21 FG
▫️5-11 3PT
Jaylen Brown
▫️31 Points
▫️10 Rebounds
▫️2 Assists
▫️12-20 FG
▫️3-5 3PT
Better than your favorite duo ?♂️ pic.twitter.com/uelXJMIalb
Outside of all the obvious stuff like defense, improved ball movement, and winning plays, the Celtics are just beating teams up. They are number one in point differential since starting 18-21. In the last six games, they held a 20-point lead and kept that lead in all, besides a late surge from the Thunder. These Celtics are being dominant on both ends. The Celtics Playoff Matchup will not matter to these guys.
The Nets Are Not Good
Fans need to think about why the Nets are in the play-in as it is. Sure, injuries happened but they are healthy now. If they are this elite team, they’d be out of the play-in if they were healthy, but they haven’t. They’ve gotten Kevin Durant back a while ago and still sit at the ninth seed. To give the Nets the benefit of the doubt, they don’t have their All-Star Guard, Ben Simmons, back yet. Then again, before that, they had James Harden and still couldn’t avoid falling down the rankings. While the Celtics took care of a red-hot Timberwolves squad last night, the Nets lost in Kyrie Irving‘s home debut to another play-in team.
The playoff success of Kevin Durant is a good reason to have faith, but besides him, there is nothing. Kyrie Irving has not had a good and healthy playoff run since 2017. Ben Simmons doesn’t have a good playoff run. This team isn’t built by winners. Dear fans of the 76ers, Heat, Bucks, and Celtics; do not fear these dudes. They are not a good basketball team. If this is the Celtics Playoff Matchup, the Celtics should handle these dudes with ease.
No Reward For Losers
Tanking in the NBA is sometimes rewarded, but only by the luck of ping-pong balls. In the playoffs, teams may lose to get a good matchup. Even lower seeds have tried winning to get a certain matchup like in 2018.
In 2018, the Boston Celtics grew through injury after injury, and it wasn’t looking good. The two best players on the squad were second-year Jaylen Brown and rookie Jayson Tatum. They were locked in as the second seed, so many teams that ranked lower wanted to hunt the young guys in round one. The Milwaukee Bucks ended up achieving that goal, hoping to get an easy first-round win against some young guys. Tatum and the Celtics won that series in seven games to advance.
Listen, acts like this are never awarded by the Basketball Gods. Faith and luck are weird arguments but has head-hunting ever worked in the playoffs? To continue off of that playoff run, the 76ers’ fans were more than excited to get this young team that took seven games to take out the seventh seed, The 76ers were then bounced after five games. Don’t look for a matchup, win and play ball if you are that confident. The Celtics Playoff Matchup will not matter once you’re on that court.
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