Jeff Green is leading a band of misfit Celtics on a mission to prove that they are still a playoff contender.
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| Team | Season Record | Previous Week’s Record |
| Boston Celtics | 4-4 | 4-0 |
| Last week, I wrote about the Celtics as well in the Week 1 HeatCheck. However, they were ice cold at this time a week ago. Now, the Celtics are out to prove that 0-4 was the fluke and that they are still very much in contention in the Eastern Conference. Jeff Green has been leading the team in Rajon Rondo’s absence, averaging 17 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per contest during the 4-win streak. Guys that were thought to be nothing more than role players or bench warmers on some teams are contributing early. Jordan Crawford has a PER of 22.3 so far, Gerald Wallace and Avery Bradley have a combined 30 steals in 8 games, and Jared Sullinger is 4th in points and 3rd in rebounds while not starting a single game. Vitor Faverani has been a welcome sight and a great offseason addition for the Celtics. He rewarded their faith with a ridiculous 12 point, 18 rebound, and 6 block performance in the 2nd game of the season, a 7-point loss to Milwaukee. Kelly Olynyk’s performance was lackluster to start the season, but he’s been an integral part of the winning streak after averaging 11.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and 3.0 APG during the last four games.
First-year Head Coach Brad Stevens looked as if he were in over his head after the first four games of the year. However, his squad is definitely not down for the count just yet. The Celtics began the streak by facing off against the also winless Jazz in a battle for a momentum starter for both squads. The C’s followed that win by going on a Florida roadtrip and taking down both the Magic and the Heat by a total of 3 points. While the Magic may be a team that is down on their luck, the Heat are the favorites to repeat as NBA champions. To say this was an upset is a huge understatement as this win was possibly as big or bigger than the 76ers defeat of the Heat on opening night. |
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| The Celtics are in a strange place. This team is normally a perennial title contender, or close to it. For the Celtics, being a strong candidate for a top pick in June is definitely not something they’re used to, and apparently it’s not something they’re willing to accept just yet. Expect Boston to find some struggles down the road, but this team may be better than most gave them credit for at the beginning of the year. Can the C’s make a playoff push with an ensemble of youth and NBA journeymen? I think so. Will they? It’s still up in the air, but the bottom of the East is stronger than in recent years. The Raptors, Cavs, Pistons, Raptors, Wizards, and Hawks all figure to fight for a low playoff seed, so I still think the Celtics will need at least another year to make the playoffs. | ||
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| Team | Season Record | Previous Week’s Record |
| Utah Jazz | 0-8 | 0-4 |
| The Utah Jazz have just had a rough schedule so far. 5 out of the first 8 games were played on the road, and the home games were against the Thunder, Rockets, and Nuggets. Ouch. It’s not that they’ve been awful the whole time; the first two losses were both by 3 points each. However, the last 6 losses were all by double-digits and by an average of 17.3 points per game. Though this streak hasn’t come for a lack of trying; Gordon Hayward is averaging almost 20 points per game, and Derrick Favors is averaging a double-double (13/10) plus 1.63 blocks per contest. This is exactly what the Jazz had hoped to see out of both of the youngsters, although it’s not been enough to win just yet. It hurt that Burke went down with injury before the season started, but neither John Lucas III nor Jamaal Tinsley have been able to step in and take the reins while Burke is out.
With just 4 players (only three of which are starters) averaging double figures, the offense has been anemic at best. Utah is ranked dead last at 86.9 points per game, a full 4 points behind Charlotte in 29th. Utah’s defense has also ranked in the bottom half so far, and their point differential is four and a half points worse than the next team. It’s obvious to see that there are several problems in Salt Lake City right now, none of which appear to be going away anytime soon. |
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| Utah is now clearly locked into the number 1 spot in the race for Andrew Wiggins. Sacramento (currently 29th in the NBA) is 2 games ahead of Utah with 2 less games played. Utah is still 9 games away from the longest losing streak to start a season in NBA history, but they’re not playing well enough to warrant much belief in their ability to turn things around just yet. It’s highly likely that they’ll be in play for the number one pick in June at this point, and there’s still no definite timetable for Burke’s return. Gordon Hayward may need to carry this team on his back if he wants to keep this team out of the cellar and possibly if he wants to keep his job next year. With SF’s Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker headlining next year’s draft, it’s very likely that Hayward could possibly be on his way out or to a smaller role if the Jazz end up with the number one pick. I’m a fan of his and think that he’s had a fantastic start to this season, so hopefully that won’t happen. However, this team will have to start winning in order to avoid that fate. | ||
By Jon Elliott
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