Contenders to C’s throne
East loaded with threats
Faced with late-round playoff conditions on Wednesday — LeBron James in punishing form, national TV, a juiced Garden crowd — the Celtics crumbled.
That they were handled so easily by the defending NBA champs said a lot not only about their continued inconsistency against quality opponents, but also what’s ahead against a quality opponent in an extended series.
That’s why Jae Crowder looked stunned. A certain realization was setting in.
“Not at all,” he said when asked if he had an explanation for what had just happened.
As the Celtics begin the last week of the season, their postseason shortcomings under Brad Stevens are about to come to light.
Stevens’ Celtics teams have shown remarkable improvement each season, going from a 25-win team in 2013-14 to successive seasons of 40, 48 and, as of Friday, 50 wins.
Those same teams are 2-8 in the postseason. Based on the way Cleveland disposed of them, nothing has changed since the Cavaliers put Isaiah Thomas in a bottle and swept Stevens’ first playoff team in April 2015.
The Cavaliers are still a lock to win that series, but the Celtics are not the clear-cut second-best team in this conference either. Toronto and Washington are about to have a contentious say in the Celtics’ future, and whether the new era’s playoff legacy at all improves.
What follows is a ranking of Eastern Conference playoff teams according to the danger they pose to the Celtics.
CLEVELAND (3-1 vs. C’s this
season) — As the Celtics were reminded last week, no team scores more quickly off opponent mistakes. When a healthy Tristan Thompson rejoins Kevin Love (16 rebounds on Wednesday), this team simply has too much strength and energy on the glass for the Celtics to shut down possessions. We had thought heading into the Celtics’ 114-91 loss that they were the best-equipped East team to defensively handle the Cavaliers on the wing, and yet Cleveland scored at will at the rim. Not only with Kyrie Irving off the dribble, either.
The day the Celtics take a series from Cleveland occurs only after Danny Ainge’s next big move.
TORONTO (3-1) — The Raptors, though missing Kyle Lowry at the time, unveiled trade deadline acquisitions Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker in beating the Celtics on Feb. 24 in Toronto. A mediocre defensive team was thus transformed, with Ibaka’s performance curious given he was a ghost in Orlando. He’s also a player the Celtics could have used, their rebounding issues considered. Tucker’s energy, times DeMar DeRozan’s scoring, times Lowry’s everything, times the paint presence of Ibaka and Jonas Valanciunas is a tall order for a Celtics team with rebounding issues, plus occasional breakdowns in energy and focus.
The Raptors, on the other hand, are just getting started. Lowry returned to the lineup with 27 points, including nine in the fourth quarter — yes, Toronto has a strong closer, too — in its comeback from 20 down to beat Detroit on Wednesday. A matchup with them, quite likely in the second round, and homecourt advantage would be all that saves the Celtics. And there’s a good chance that won’t be enough.
WASHINGTON (2-2) — As great a season as John Wall has had, the Celtics are much better equipped to handle the All-Star point guard’s team. When engaged, the Celtics have the best defensive perimeter in the conference and match up well against Washington’s great young backcourt of Wall and Bradley Beal. This might project as the best series of the bunch, in part because of the well-chronicled animosity between the teams. MILWAUKEE (1-1) — Rookie of the year candidate Malcolm Brogdon was more composed than anyone on the Celtics side during the Bucks’ March 29 win in the Garden. Giannis Antetokounmpo has matured into one of the greatest matchup problems in the league, and could someday reach LeBron James’ versatility level. The so-called Greek Freak already has hurt the Celtics on multiple levels. Though the paint-bound Greg Monroe is supposed to be one of the greatest examples of the diminished importance of post players, he manages to punch quite a few holes in the Celtics’ front line. We’ll find out more when the Celtics close out the season against the Bucks on Wednesday; should they meet again this spring, the result would be an extended series the Celtics should win.
MIAMI (0-4) — Though the Heat won’t be seeded this high and got swept by the Celtics this season, they are the most dangerous low-seed candidate on the board. Individual matchups aren’t the problem here, with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra getting the most out of his everyman cast. The problem is the best rebounder in basketball, Hassan Whiteside, who gives Miami a puncher’s chance.
ATLANTA (1-1) — Though the Hawks at one point seemed poised to drop clear out of the playoffs, with Paul Millsap’s return from injury not preventing a loss to the Nets, Atlanta seemed to recover nicely with Thursday’s win over the Celtics. The Hawks, still in a 3-8 skid, are scrambling to find themselves, transitioning from Al Horford to Dwight Howard. Horford and Jeff Teague are no longer around to calm down the offense, placing a burden on the young, unpredictable Dennis Schroder to stabilize the offense. The Hawks’ six-game elimination of the C’s last spring shouldn’t have much correlation to now, though Thursday’s game makes one wonder. CHICAGO (2-2) — Jimmy Butler, essentially all the Bulls have left to save them, is not enough in a series if the Celtics defend to their expectations. But, now that it’s the playoffs, Rajon Rondo will have lots of chances to pull out his national television A-game. A playoff series against the former Celtic leader would make this one of the most entertaining draws on the board. INDIANA (0-3) — A failing team with no staying power, especially not for an extended playoff series. Just ask Paul George, whose recent criticisms leave little doubt that the Celtics’ chief trade target is ready for a new team.