What are the biggest questions for the Celtics heading into the playoffs
This is what this team has been waiting for for awhile now. The playoffs are here. Everything matters. No more 1/2 assing through. Tit up and strap in. Lock in on defense and execute your offense. The Celtics are arguably the most talented roster in the NBA. It just comes down to execution. That’s not to say there are not concerns and question marks. In fact there are nothing but question marks.
Can Joe Mazzula handle it?
If NBA coaching ever mattered it’s in the playoffs. In a seven games series they will need to make the proper adjustments on both sides of the ball. We have seen examples of Erik Spolestra dancing circles around coaches in the playoffs including our own.
Does Joey Mazz have the sack to bench Marcus Smart when he is inevitably out played by Brogdon and White?
What kind of advice can he provide Tatum when he sees double and triple teams for the next two months?
What do the rotations look like?
A guy like Payton Pritchard should not see almost any court time. But, he is a perfect example of the type of guy that could be used in a situation where the offense is struggling. Spark plug off the bench. Can Joey Mazz be conifdent in a move like that or will he run his 8 man rotation into the ground
Can we bench Marcus Smart?
Ime did it last year. It worked. It will need to happen again. For all the Marcus Smart lovers out there I implore you to take a look at Game 5 of the NBA Finals last year. For every “winning” flop this guy make he makes two horrible offensive decisions. He needs stern - disciplined coaching.
Celtics finished the season ranked 2nd in clutch and late. HOW?
My eyes tell me something different so go out there and prove it. The way this team plays they are bound to drag us through more stressful outcomes than tax season after you’ve “written off” every 12 pack you bought last year.
Can Tatum do it in the play offs?
There is zero question Tatum is the sole reason they lost the NBA finals last year. If he was able to bring is game to 1/2 of what we are used to the Celtics win the Finals in six. Nothing is going to change in terms of the challenges he is about to face. Double and triple teams are coming. More aggressive defense and less calls are coming. Being able to knock down shots with a world of pressure weighing down on you is coming. Can he step up and break through as one of the truly top 5 guys in the league or will end up being a regular season gym class hero?
Round 1 against the Hawks can only add to this list of questions. None can be answered. It won’t be until a match up with MVP Embid that we can start to feel better or worst about their chances and even then that 76ers team is trash. Your true tests are the Bucks (with out Middleton is it still even a test? Or just a fail if they lose?) Then lets see who comes out of the West. Frankly the Warriors are the scariest match up in my eyes. Big bad brothers still have the C’s in their back pocket but there is a very good chance they don’t get out of the 1st round. Then who? The Suns. I dare them to pull a hammy in warm ups. Jocic? There is just something about that Nuggets team that smells like an underachiever.
The long and short of it is this Championship is the Celtics’ to lose. It has been since the minute after they lost it last year. We’ve been saying it for a while, but it’s never been more true than right now. This is the Celtics year.