Best mark not a priority
The Celtics are happy to announce the birth of a subplot. They self-delivered a 15-pound increase in meaning for the last six games in the regular season, at least as regards the Celts and Raptors.
The 110-99 victory over their northern neighbors brought the locals to within two games of Toronto in what’s now a more legitimate race for the top seed in the Eastern Conference and the right to open each series at home and host all seventh games until dealing with the West.
By moving this close, the C’s will have the chance to tighten the Toronto collar even further when the teams meet Wednesday night in Canada.
And as if to set that stage even better, the teams got a little testy with each other while the Celts were completing a 28-15 fourth quarter finishing kick.
Marcus Morris led the Celts with 25 points, but was prevented from attempting the second of two free throws in the final seconds when he picked up his second technical foul as verbal emotions escalated.
It’s hard to look at last night as much of a conference finals preview. If these teams get that far, you’d assume Kyrie Irving (knee) and Marcus Smart (thumb) will be back, as will Shane Larkin, who missed this one with illness.
But the fact the Celtics got this done without them against the fully healthy Maple Leapers can only add to their confidence.
Jayson Tatum was very un-rookie-like on the way to 24 points, and Terry Rozier filled in ably again for Irving with 21 points and seven assists.
But, truly, everyone put their fingerprints on this.
Aron Baynes had an outof-body experience in the first quarter, only it wasn’t his body. The Boston brute channeled Steph Curry, stepping outside to hit the first two 3-pointers of his 395-game career.
Before the game began, there was room to debate the quest’s merit. To paraphrase an old scribe named Bill, “To go after the first seed or not to go after the first seed: that is the question. Whether ’tis nobler to expend effort in search of homecourt advantage all the way through the conference playoffs or be more refreshed at the postseason’s dawn . . .”
Brad Stevens would rather suffer the slings and arrows of the playoffs with soldiers in better condition to withstand them. He really didn’t want to get into the discussion.
“There’s value to winning the next game and preparing to win the next game,” said the Celtics coach. “And then all those things figure themselves out at the end. I don’t think about it. We don’t talk about it. We just try to win the next game.”
Stevens punted on the basic homecourt advantage question, too, though he may want to consult the 2007-08 Celts on that issue. The banner 17 lads needed Game 7’s in the Garden to get by Atlanta and Cleveland in the first two rounds. They didn’t get their first road win until Game 4 against Detroit in the conference finals.
“We’re going to have hard games no matter what,” Stevens said. “Ultimately, if you want to win the whole thing, it doesn’t matter where you play. You just play as well as you can. We have to focus on only us in the next couple of weeks, because we’re still trying to figure out how to play together with this group. And I think that we’re not going to get caught up in standings or any of that stuff.”
But he will make certain the Celts get caught up on their rest. Asked about sitting players out if there’s still a chance at the top seed over this last handful of games, Stevens said, “Well, we’re going to have to do that I think because of our available bodies. But I still think we’re going to approach each game the exact same way at the end of the day. But we’re inevitably going to have to do that over the next seven games regardless.”
Stevens’ stance is in stark contrast to Raptors coach Dwane Casey, who isn’t hiding his desire for No. 1.
“Right now one of our goals is to finish with homecourt advantage, finish at the top of the conference,” he said before the game. “That’s what we started the year out with, and we’re right there in the hunt, and that’s what these games mean tonight, Tuesday night (in Cleveland), Wednesday night (against the Celtics) and then Friday night (vs. Indiana) also. And I like it like that.”
Al Horford agrees with Stevens in terms of the greater need to be in sync, but, if the opportunity presents itself to go for the top seed, he’d just as soon put off rest until the offseason.
“Like I’ve said all along, I think that if we’re just playing at a high level, and I feel like we’re playing good basketball, that’s where I want to see our team,” he said.
Let’s just say the prospects looked a lot better by 10 o’clock last night.