#1 Gratitude
This last week or two has been tough, right? Nothing to play for. A clear drop off from the effort we’ve seen throughout the regular season. Some losses that wouldn’t have happened if the Boston Celtics were playing at their best. It’s easy to get concerned or have questions about the coaching staff’s resting policy.
It’s also easy to find the negatives in those moments. You begin to wonder if it’s really as simple as flicking a switch once the playoffs begin. You ask yourself if taking your foot off the gas is the right more. Then, you try to rationalize what you see with the argument about staying fresh and avoiding injuries.
The truth is, 29 other fanbases came into the season dreaming about being in this situation. They dreamt about their team running away with the first seed in their conference and having the season wrapped up weeks before the schedule ended. Only one team did that this season, this team.
At some point, it’s worth just sitting back and enjoying what has been an incredibly memorable season. The type of season you tell your children about. The type of season you tell your children’s children about. A historical season. A season that could potentially go down in Celtics lore as one of the best in the modern era.
I’m choosing to be grateful for that rather than worrying about “what ifs” and “can they’s.”
#2 Excitement
One game. That’s all that’s left in the Celtics regular-season schedule. When you look past it, there’s a chasm of unknown waiting. The play-in tournament will dictate who the team faces in the first round. Right now, that could be the Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat or Philadelphia 76ers.
It doesn’t matter who ends up being the first domino in Boston’s story; they will have to fall. In fact, every team will have to fall. That’s how championship runs work. That’s how dominance is asserted. And this team has proven themselves to be dominant. Something is exciting about this team. What’s more, something is exciting about seeing a team you’ve watched grow and develop walk into the unknown with one goal and all the tools necessary to achieve it.
Even when the “Core Six” sat out on Friday night, the team still took care of business. They still cooked. They still dominated. I’m starting to get excited for the playoffs now…Are you?
#3 Young and Wild and Free
Against the Charlotte Hornets, the Celtics rolled out much younger talent. Jaden Springer, JD Davison, Drew Peterson, Jordan Walsh, Neemias Queta, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser — all of these guys are in the early innings of their careers. All of them found ways to have a good game.
A sign of a connected team is when the end of the bench and two-way guys can step into the rotation and execute the game plan at a high level. Seeing so many young players put on a strong performance wasn’t only encouraging, it was fun. It was fun to see some new actions. Some new playstyles. And to see everyone hustling their butt off on both sides of the floor.
Springer is fun. I like his energy and his commitment on defense. Walsh’s wingspan is so nuts, and his three-point jumper looks way smoother. Queta made a big impact and showed why he’s recently earned a multi-year deal with the team. We could go on, but you get the picture.
The point is, even when the Celtics rolled out their backups and the backups to their backups, they still found a way to crush it.
#4 Kornet, Pritchard and Hauser
Playoff ready. No other way to put it. Pritchard has taken his game to another level in the past few months. He’s been such a fun sub-story as the Celtics have been closing out the season. If he can sustain this level of production off the bench throughout the postseason (and likely with a dip in minutes) he will have a significant role to play in the team’s chances of success.
The same can be said about Kornet and Hauser. Both have been solid this season. Kornet has especially impressed me. It feels like he’s gotten better and better as the season has progressed. Throw in Hauser’s movement shooting and the mid-range jumper he’s starting to add to his game when attacking closeouts off the dribble, and that trio feels like it can make an impact when checking into playoff games.
The Celtics are proving exceptionally gifted at developing talent in-house — which is a sign of a well-run and high-level organization.
#5 The Maine Line
We saw a bunch of the G-League roster on the court against the Hornets. They’ve got a lot of back-and-forth traveling ahead of them this week. However, seeing the connectedness between them and the execution they bring is fun.
“I think it’s just a testament to the coaching staff, the front office, and the players, and it shows the continuity throughout the entire organization,” Mazzulla said after the game. “… I’m excited to go to that game on Monday.”
We will likely see those players again when the Celtics face the Washington Wizards on Sunday. And if you’re tuning into the Maine Celtics over the next few days, you will get another close look at them.
However, from next week, it’s all about the playoffs, and I’m here for it!
Looking ahead
One more game. The result doesn’t matter — we’ve known this for a while. Still, it will be fun to put a bow on the season and finally turn our attention toward the postseason and a potential championship run. I’ll be here on Monday to write my final takeaways article of the regular-season…Then, we should be back to a full 10 after each game, with lots to unpact.
Have a great weekend!
