The Celtics technically still have 25 regular season games remaining after beating the Knicks handily on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. Boston is effectively entering a new phase of their season after putting together their 8th straight win in dominant fashion. The team is now 45-12 on the year, putting them eight games above their nearest competition in the East (Cleveland) and five games clear of the Timberwolves for the top record in the NBA.
A look around the complexion of the Eastern Conference tells the story of just how easy this ride should be for Boston to secure the No. 1 seed in the East. The Celtics are not only fully healthy but they have the second easiest schedule remaining in the NBA.
Meanwhile, a look across the rest of the Eastern Conference shows plenty of contenders in various states of struggle. The 76ers and Knicks are battling injuries to their All-Stars bigs with no potential return dates for weeks. The Bucks have lost six of their last 10 games amid consistency issues under their new coach Doc Rivers. The Cavs have also fallen back to earth after the All-Star Break with two straight losses.
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Quite simply, none of these teams have a real chance to make a serious run at Boston in the standings at this point. The Celtics won’t lock up anything up officially until March but the regular season race in the East is effectively over now.
“It’s just the way kind of the season has gone,” Al Horford told reporters Saturday night in New York. “We’ve kind of held our own, continue to work through things. Obviously, Sixers have injuries. Different teams have different stuff going on. So that all goes into account. But, I can just speak to we’re continuing to play good basketball. We’re really trying to play the right way. And I feel like Joe is really challenging us to continue to get better. This is a stretch of the season where we can really take it to another level. And that’s what we’re trying to do.”
How exactly the Celtics go about reaching that next level amid a slew of relatively meaningless games over the final month of the season will be fascinating to watch. The Celtics will have the flexibility to rest guys when they want to but how will they balance that out with trying to stay sharp for postseason play? Is the team going to care about its regular season win total in the record books or will simply securing the No. 1 seed and home court advantage be enough?
Jaylen Brown is already hinting that Boston’s regular season dominance won’t mean much when it matters mot.
“When it comes down to the playoffs, none of that stuff really matters,” Brown said of the standings. “I feel like it’s gonna be about matchups, it’s going to be about playing hard. Obviously, home court matters so that is key. But when you get into the thick of it, you gotta win basketball games regardless of what your seed is. If anything, it puts more pressure on you. But I think we’re an experienced team. We’ve been in these situations before and I think we’re ready.”
The Celtics have worn themselves out a bit chasing seeding at points in recent years during the regular season. How they navigate a far more comfortable scenario while also trying to peak on the floor bears close watching in the next few weeks
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