A 128-95 beatdown on the Golden State Warriors, at the Oracle Arena no less, reminded the basketball world how good the Boston Celtics can be.
For most of this 2018-19 NBA season, Gang Green has been anything but a legit title contender. They hardly looked like a playoff contender before their trip out west due to many factors not the least of which is a contentious locker room.
But winning heals a lot of wounds and the recent win in Golden State and the one over the Sacramento Kings could galvanize this team to play like the would-be challengers to the throne that they are expected to be.
Regardless of their recent and lengthy struggles, the Celtics are legit threats to end the Warriors’ reign at the top and the victory against the two-time defending champs shows just how good they can and should be.
Kyrie Irving is a big-time player and appears to be finding a better role for the team as a playmaker, something that he hasn’t had much of an opportunity to do when he was in Cleveland. Jayson Tatum has all the talent in the world to be a superstar and is showing flashes of brilliance of his potential. And of course, the ever-reliable Al Horford continues to be one of the best defensive centers in the league. These three form the core of the Celtics’ run toward a title.
Here are three valid reasons why the Celtics are true championship contenders who can dethrone the Warriors:
3. Defense
The Celtics are one of the best defensive teams in the league. Check out Boston’s rankings in some of the major defensive categories:
- 4th in defensive rating
- 8th in blocks
- T-2nd in opponents field goal percentage
- T-3rd place in opponents 3-pt FG percentage
- T-3rd place in steals
- T-4th in points allowed
- T-6th in steals
The opponent's field goal percentage and opponent's 3-pt field goal percentage categories are very significant when it comes to facing Golden State.
The Warriors are no. 1 in points (118.2) and no. 3 in 3-pt field goal percentage (37.8 percent) but in their recent matchup with the Celtics, they only scored 95 points and made just 22.9 percent (8-of-35) of their attempts from long distance.
Boston also blocked them five times, stole the ball 12 times and forced Golden State to cough up the ball 21 times.
All of these are recipes for disaster for the defending champs.
If this regular season game is a portent of things to come from coach Brad Stevens and his crew, then they have as good a chance as any to win a seven-game series against Steve Kerr’s boys in the Finals.
2. Bench Depth
“One of our great strengths as a team is depth,” Stevens said via Celtics.com’s Marc D'Amico after a February game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. “I mean, that’s just the way it is, and we’re lucky to have that depth.”
The Celtics were hailed as the team to beat in the Eastern Conference prior to the start of the season and with good reason.
From the starters to the reserves, no team has a deeper bench. Terry Rozier (8.9 points per game), Jaylen Brown (12.8) and Gordon Hayward (11.0) could all start for most teams in the league but they come off the bench for this talented team.
When All-Star Kyrie Irving needs a breather, Rozier comes in with just as much energy to put pressure on the defense. Brown is only 22 years old and brimming with athleticism, is exciting to watch and an excellent defender. Hayward is just two years removed from his first All-Star appearance and is slowly regaining his form. Daniel Theis and Aron Baynes are solid reserves who can change the complexion of a game.
The Celtics are loaded at every position. If they can exploit mismatches against the Warriors’ Quinn Cook, Shaun Livingston, Andre Iguodala, Jonas Jerebko and the rest, they can get ahead whenever the Warriors’ starters are resting.
Perhaps more than any other, it’s the Celtics’ bench that can overcome most of the Warriors’ advantages over them.
Speaking of their bench, there’s one player in particular who could change the tide of a ballgame in a series between these two teams…
1. Gordon Hayward is the Biggest X-Factor in the Playoffs
Gordon Hayward made the game-winning jumper with two seconds to go to give the Celtics the 111-109 win against the Sacramento Kings in the second game of a back-to-back after the Warriors affair.
If the last two games are any indication, it looks like he’s slowly getting his groove back.
In an episode of “The Jump,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst told audiences that Gordon Hayward is the biggest x-factor in the Eastern Conference playoffs and I have to agree.
When the Celtics signed the former Utah Jazz player to a 4-year, $127 million contract last season, they expected him to be the team’s franchise player. One freak injury in the first minute of his first game as a Celtic later, Hayward became the highest paid role player in the league.
But there’s reason why Hayward is the x-factor in this Celtics squad as a sixth man.
NBC Sports’ Nick Nick Goss compiled the following stats prior to their tussle with Kings to show how good the Celts are when Hayward is on his game:
- 50+ FG%: 18-2 record
- 2+ 3PT made: 14-5
- 15+ points: 13-2
- 5+ assists: 10-5
- 10+ FGA: 17-6
Having an All-Star player come off the bench is not something teams are accustomed to and the 6-foot-8 forward showed in the Warriors game that he can be one of the most difficult matchups that any playoff team will face.
If he can produce between 15-20 points consistently as the first player off their bench, that will be a nightmare for teams including the Warriors.
In scoring 30 points last Tuesday, Hayward recorded his third 30-point game this season, a sign that he can still play the game at a high level. Perhaps the only reason for his decline this season is really just the fact that he had been out for an entire year and is still getting acclimated to playing the game again during the first half of the season.
Something tells me that when the playoffs start, Hayward will play much better and will be the biggest difference maker in a series against the Warriors.
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