The Celtics have fought through injuries all year. Guard Marcus Smart is still out with a torn thumb and forward Daniel Theis is sidelined with a torn meniscus.
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Within the East, the Celtics are locked in because the No. 2 seed behind Toronto.
Not to sound like a stooge, but the playoffs are different from the regular season. Cleveland is now in third place and if form holds, the Cavs would face Boston in the second round.
With Irving on the court, the Celtics have maintained Four Factors marks of a 52.2-29.8, per NBAMath’s FATS Calculator. The team’s young core has been impressive and now Terry Rozier, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will be able to take on expanded offensive roles in a playoff atmosphere.
Veteran Al Horford will be counted on to lead this group, and (yes) will be counted on to score more.
The Raptors, who defeated the Celtics on Wednesday, are on the verge of clinching the top seed in the East. At some point, you’re going to have to give LeBron some help. The Sixers’ final three games include a road game against lowly Atlanta, a home game against the lowly Dallas Mavericks, and the regular-season finale at home against NBA All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. The Celtics don’t have a facsimile for him, because there are only about five people on the face of the Earth that are capable of doing what he does.
The short-term prognosis for the Celtics is extremely disappointing.
Irving took to Instagram to share his thoughts on the discouraging process but remained positive, saying “this season was only a snapshot of what’s to come” in the future. Hayward will return at full strength to form a superstar partnership. That experience will only bode well for them moving forward.
Irving’s absence already has provided a boost to Boston’s rivals and – based on Toronto’s recent play and annual deference to James – probably eased the Cavaliers’ road to a fourth consecutive Finals. They sat in the No. 1 in the Eastern Conference for most of the season but, statistically, they appeared to be a tier below some of their competition.
The broader trend of injuries is an unfortunate cloud over what was shaping up to be an exciting postseason. What if Irving was healthy heading into the playoffs? Without Irving, reason stands that the team could fall back on solid defense in an attempt to grind out wins. At this point, just having Irving ready for some of the offseason and the preseason seems like it will be the bigger priority, and it also eases any pressure on Hayward to make a miraculous return for the playoffs, though that was never likely.
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But despite the success the team has had without either player, their odds of playoff success have undergone a dramatic shift. We’ll have to wait another year to see what Danny Ainge’s best laid plans can do when competition is at its highest.
