Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
There’s a lot for these Celtics to be optimistic about. That’s quite a departure from a week ago when these playoffs first tipped and it was fair to question Boston’s potential based on what we had seen over the previous six months. Over the past eight days:
* Irving reaffirmed his status as a playoff crunch-time killer.
* Horford put together a mesmerizing defensive series, giving the Celtics a chance in all four games because of his work on the back line.
* Brown embraced a give-the-game-what-it-needs approach, accepted the challenge of chasing Bojan Bogdanovic in the absence of Smart, and emerged as one of Boston’s key contributors.
* Tatum found some of his playoff mojo from last season, attacked the basket consistently, and took on the challenge of being a go-to scorer when Boston needed him.
* Hayward brought consistent defensive intensity and a desire to make the right play. His season-long quest to return to “Utah Gordon” could be encapsulated in Game 4 when Myles Turner dunked loudly on him and Hayward spent the rest of the game furiously extracting revenge while looking a lot like his old All-Star self.
* Morris and Rozier showed exactly why Danny Ainge built a deep roster and kept them part of the mix even when Boston’s depth seemed to hurt the team at times during the regular season.
Don’t let anyone cloud your optimism for this Celtics team. Everyone had them beating the Pacers, but NOBODY had them sweeping. NOBODY.
So in that context, they exceeded expectations. And this is coming from me, the most negative and cynical Celtics fan around.
The balance was remarkable. Outside of the relatively steady performances by Kyrie, Horford, and Tatum, someone always seemed to step up. One night it was Jaylen, another night it was Mook or Gordo. Rozier had a +5.5 net rtg – a full 6 points higher than his regular season rating.
And don’t let anyone tell you this team can’t play even better. Horford shot just 34%. They averaged 16 TOs per game, about 3.5 more than their season average.
The Bucks will likely finish off the Pistons tonight. I’ve always thought the Celtics have a better chance to beat Milwaukee than Toronto. For me, it’s the lack of playoff experience specifically the role players (Bledsoe, Lopez, Mirotic, etc). I remain scarred by Khris Middleton but he can’t shoot 60% from 3 again, can he??
Related links: Mass Live – Kyrie: It’s about a team who can win a seven game series | 10 things we learned | Globe – The regular season is done, we’re not the same team | NBC Sports – Hayward shows out in his city
On Page 2, and now we wait.
After completing their sweep of the Pacers with a 110-106 win in Game 4 on Sunday, the Celtics will now face the winner of the opening-round series between the Bucks and the Pistons. Top-seeded Milwaukee leads that series, 3-0, and will have a chance to close it out on Monday.
But even if that series ends then, there will be a considerable wait before the conference semifinals begin. The NBA has stated that the semifinals can only be moved up to Saturday at the earliest.
But the Celtics are eager to have some time to rest, recover and prepare.
“Very valuable,” forward Al Horford said. “Just we can rest, recover, really start studying and getting ready for that next matchup. It’s going to be very beneficial. Like I said, even though we swept [Indiana], this was a hard series.”
I understand the players’ need for rest, but six days? If Philly and Toronto can close out their series on Tuesday night, we might have all four semi-finalists sitting on their hands for 4-5 days.
There is another positive:
Stevens said that guard Marcus Smart, who remains sidelined indefinitely with a left oblique tear, had a good workout on Saturday. Stevens had no further update on Smart’s timeline for a return, however. Smart said Friday that he believed he was still about two weeks away from being able to run.
It’s been two weeks since Smart tore his oblique. I keep looking at the calendar but I think the best case scenario is Games 6/7.
And finally, old friend Scott Pollard surfaces.
If you don’t think the @celtics are coming out of the east I’ve got news for you: They are. Didn’t even have a good series and swept the Pacers. Hayward peaking at the right time. Looking at ease, finally, on that formerly bad wheel. The pieces are falling into place. #banner18?
— Scot Pollard (@ScotPollard31) April 21, 2019
More links
BR: Celtics starting to look like contenders
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