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The process of clinching remains a work in progress, though, thanks to Indiana’s 116-104 win over Oklahoma City. Though the seventh-seeded Celtics need either a win in their last two games or a Pacers loss in their final two to wrap up a postseason berth.
Though the Pacers are tied with Brooklyn, the Nets hold the series tiebreaker, and thus remain in possession of the eighth seed. The Celtics in turn hold the series tiebreaker over Brooklyn, which fell a game back with its loss in Milwaukee.
Back up at the seventh seed, though, there is a quiet sense of wonder.
“We didn’t even know we had a chance back at the beginning of January, and it says a lot about the group we have,” said Tyler Zeller.
The prospect of a playoff seed is energizing for a team few ever imagined as late April material at the start of the season. But Brad Stevens sounded as if he was preparing for a game in mid-January.
“Toronto, walk-through at 11 a.m. on Tuesday,” the Celtics coach said of tomorrow’s game when asked about the meaning of his first playoff appearance as Celtics coach — a development most would consider to be well ahead of schedule.
“Nothing changes at all,” he reiterated.
Boston Herald – Somehow Celtics on verge
If you asked the citizens of Boston this past fall if there’d be playoffs at the Garden in late April, you probably would have gotten a consensus, “Yeah. Of course. Go Bs!” A Celtics playoff berth felt a few years away, even with the sad state of the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
Well, here we are, closing in on mid-April and we’re one game away from confirming that, yes, there will be playoffs at the Garden in mid-April. While Bruins fans are left pondering what could have been, Celtics fans are gearing up for at least one round (ok, probably one round) of playoff basketball.
These are the same fans that understood the jettisoning of Pierce, Garnett, Rondo and Rivers meant a rebuild that could last more than a couple of years. I personally remember showing up to a game early last year at the very nascent stages of the Brad Stevens’ era. The Garden was pretty full for a Wednesday night against Orlando and I turned to my friend and said, “just wait until the glow of the Big Three wears off. A year from now it’ll look like it did in here in the mid 2000s.”
Yes, the Cs are still rebuilding. If it weren’t for playing in the Eastern Conference, tomorrow night’s final regular season home game would be a nice send-off for a team that over achieved a little bit, but screwed itself out of a lottery pick by playing so well.
But, regardless of how many wins the Celtics have, there’s a buzz in the city of Boston today, as fans can knowingly nod at other fans and know that the Cs magic number is one. If you had told me that at the beginning of the season, I would have assumed you were talking about their desired draft position.
This whole thing may very well be decided tomorrow night, as the Cs host the Raptors, who have seeding to play for, and the Pacers host the Wizards. If it does somehow get to Wednesday undecided, Indiana has to go to the Grindhouse to play the Grizzlies, while the Celts get a Bucks team with nothing for which to play.
Start pulling your green and white towels out.
Related Links:
CSNNE – On Bring of playoffs Stevens’ approach not changing
On Page 2: But don’t get too excited…
LeBron James didn’t play against the Celtics yesterday, but, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, he’ll be back.
LeBron took the opportunity of his day of rest to avoid chatting with the media. But as he left the Cavaliers dressing room late in the afternoon, he offered a quick greeting to a media member and said, “I’ll catch you next week.”
With the Celts moving a game ahead of Brooklyn in the race for the seventh playoff seed in the Eastern Conference, it was looking even more certain the teams that met at the Garden yesterday will have a first-round date next weekend.
Boston Herald – Bulpett: Lebron James looms as major impediment for Celtics
With the Milwaukee Bucks beat-down on the Brooklyn Nets (who very well may have decided to throw in the towel to avoid the seven-seed), the Celtics fate became much clearer: they’re headed for the seven-seed and a first round playoff series with Lebron James and the Cavs. Remember the last time the Cavs played their full compliment of guys in March? It was ugly. Remember when the Clippers came to town a few weeks ago with a similarly stacked roster? Yeah that wasn’t pretty either.
While the match-up isn’t yet set in stone, let me be the first to say that while a playoff berth will invigorate this city for about a week in the absence of the majorly disappointing Boston Bruins, the series will go no more than five games. Maybe, just maybe, after the Cavs handle the Cs in game one, they’ll ease off the gas in game two or three. Whatever happens, I hope a Celtics playoff series ends in Boston, so that fans in attendance can give one hell of an ovation to this group of guys.
And finally, Jackie Mac on IT4
Since Boston acquired Thomas, the team is 18-11 and completely and totally zoned in on being a playoff team. Seriously. The little dude has done the impossible — he’s convinced fans who were programmed into a “gotta lose and rebuild” stupor into rooting unabashedly for their team to win, lottery pick be damned.
Thomas has proven to be the ideal antidote for a team that had trouble closing out games because of a lack of a pure scorer. Thomas often plays alongside Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley, who simply can’t handle the responsibility of controlling the ball right now. The beauty of it is Thomas needs the ball in his hands to be effective, which is perfectly all right with his backcourt counterparts because when Thomas penetrates and draws two collapsing defenders, he kicks it out and creates open looks for guys like Bradley, Smart and Jonas Jerebko. “It’s a lot of fun playing with him,” Smart said. “His ability to get into the paint and doing some of the things he does out there … it’s fun to watch. He makes the game so much easier for the rest of us.”
ESPN Boston – Jackie MacMullan – Isaiah Thomas has made basketball in Boston fun again for Celtics fans
You know you’ve made an indelible mark on Boston sports fans when Jackie Mac devotes her column space to you. Would the Celtics be in this position without the acquisition of Isaiah Thomas? They did well enough when Thomas sat out with an injury last month, but it’s safe to say the energy, scoring punch and fearlessness this team has exhibited since his arrival is a major factor in where the Celts sit right now.
MacMullan goes on to make the point that while Thomas probably isn’t a better overall player than Rajon Rondo, he, much like Brad Stevens as opposed to Doc Rivers, is just what this Celtics team needs:
No one is saying Thomas is a better passer than Rondo. No one is saying he’s a better player, either. But he’s the better player for this team. They need someone who believes scrapping for the eighth (or seventh) playoff spot is a noble goal and a significant accomplishment. Remember when Doc Rivers said recently that Brad Stevens was a much better fit for the Celtics at this juncture than he would have been? Same applies here. Rondo had the right to desire a change of scenery. He was an integral part of the 2008 championship, and that’s chiseled in stone, but he was no longer interested in the long haul ahead.
Something I know I discounted with Danny shipped out Rondo, Jeff Green and let Doc walk two years ago, was how much more the new guys would relish the role of overachiever. Jae Crowder can’t score in the same ways Jeff Green can, Brad Stevens can’t hang his hat on an NBA championship and years of NBA head coaching experience, but the guys here in the wake of the Big Three blow up are loving where they’re at right now. And so should we.
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