The Boston Celtics (based on record) are the best team in the NBA
Josh’s Jab
Raise your hand if you thought the Boston Celtics would be 15–2 at this point. No one should have their hand raised. I don’t even think the most optimistic Celtic fans had them doing this well, especially after losing Gordon Hayward to a horrific injury. But, here we are with the Celtics with the best record in the league. The main reason they’ve done this you ask? Defense.
I don’t expect you to watch the whole video unless you’re a hardcore fan but this is why they’ve been so good. They have a lot of long, athletic guys that they throw at you. They can switch basically everything. Jaylen Brown is a star defensively and is quickly becoming one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. Jayson Tatum has been better than expected. Al Horford has been amazing and is a contender for defensive player of the year right now.
A big difference from their defense last year is that they have a lot more size. Last year, they started Isaiah Thomas (5'9) and Avery Bradley (6'2). Isaiah Thomas tried hard on defense but at 5'9 it’s not much you can do. Bradley is a great defender but at the end of the day, he is still 6'2. Now they start Kyrie Irving (6'3) and Jaylen Brown (6'7) at the guard positions. Kyrie isn’t the best defender but he is finally trying hard and being six inches taller makes a huge difference. Brown at 6'7 can guard almost every position on the court.
There has been a lot of talk about Kyrie and how he’s leading the Celtics. He’s defintely a better leader than I’ve given him credit for being. He’s been really good. He’s on pace for his highest total of win shares in a season ever and his best box plus/minus. However, Al Horford is what makes this team go. If the season ended today, he’d have to get some votes for MVP. His numbers aren’t gaudy (14.9 points per game, 8.8 rebounds per game, and 4.5 assists per game) but his impact is great. According to NBA.com, the Celtics have a net rating of 12.5 when he’s on the court. With Kyrie on, they have a net rating of 7.2. That’s good but it’s not the impact that Horford has given. If that isn’t value, I don’t know what is.
Another big thing that has the Celtics playing great is their rebounding. Last year, they were 26th in rebounding. This year, they’re tied for first and they’re out-rebounding teams by over five rebounds a game. Horford’s rebounding is up. Tatum and Brown rebound very well for their positions and Aron Baynes gives them much needed rebounding off the bench.
This Celtics team has sort of changed its identity on the fly and a lot of the credit has to go to Brad Stevens. He has these guys giving it their all and playing to their best abilities. The whole team has bought in and now it’s time to start discussing Brad Stevens as one of the best coaches in the league. His team overachieved last year and now they’re overachieving this year. We may have to start giving the Celtics the Spursian treatment and pencil them in for a top four seed in the East every year. Stevens is that good.
The Celtics still struggle offensively at times and when Horford or Irving rest, they’re pretty bad. Imagine how much better this team would be with Gordon Hayward. But, their next seven games feature six teams who didn’t make the playoffs last year and one (Indiana) who traded away their best player. This 15-game winning streak could get even bigger.
I’m still hesitant to pick these guys over the Cleveland Cavilers because of Lebron James but they’re steadily gaining respect from me. At the very least, they can challenge. The Celtics are really good now and will be even better in the years to come.
