Some of the biggest news to come out of the sports world today was the injury to Kevin Love. Part of the Big 3 in Cleveland, he is an integral part to their team. As of late, the Cavaliers have been in a slump. They finished below .500 in the month of January, which is something a Lebron James team has never done this late into a season. All of their recent struggles have been with their All-Star forward in the starting lineup. What does this mean for the rest of the Eastern Conference?
Not only is Kevin Love injured but the injury to his knee required surgery that will put him out roughly six weeks. This means he misses the entire month of March and possibly some of April. Not to mention many teams start to turn it up after the All-Star break. Last year, the Cavs lost 8 games after the break with most players healthy. While the Cavs could struggle, the Celtics seem to be finding their stride.
Boston is inching closer and closer to the top spot in the East as they are only 2.0 games out of first place. In the beginning of the season, many analysts and media had the Cavs winning the East outright, but the Celtics have put together an impressive season behind MVP candidate Isaiah Thomas. The C’s have a favorable schedule as well with most of March playing against sub .500 teams. They do have games against Cleveland (home) and Golden State (away), but the Celtics beat Golden State last year with basically the same roster as this years team.
Going into the playoffs is where the Celtics can be even more dangerous. It’s clear that Boston plays better at home and by securing the top spot, they could have home court for the entirety of the playoffs. That could be vital if they can finally get over the hump and reach the Eastern Conference Finals. Having Lebron coming into a place where he has had his hopes dashed many times bodes well for the Celtics. Maybe Tom Brady was right when he texted Isaiah Thomas he was the next Bostonian to win a championship…then again why would I not believe Brady?
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
