The Celtics’ regular season has wrapped up and it was both what I expected and not at the same time. At the beginning of the season, I predicted a 50-32 record. Tim predicted a 55-27 record. You can hear those predictions, along with Tim trying to figure out his math here:
I was off by one game, why would I say that it wasn’t what I expected? I had no idea that the Celtics would finish with the 2nd best net rating in the NBA. I would not have guessed they would be a legitimate threat to come out of the East and I wouldn’t have guessed that they have legit contenders for MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Coach of the Year. I also did not predict them to have the best defense in the NBA.
Early in the season as coach Ime Udoka kept calling out his players I was worried it would backfire. I thought players didn’t like to be coached that way anymore. Turns out that was completely wrong. This group wanted to be coached harder and that might be the reason the mild-mannered Brad Stevens lost his voice with them last season.
After Marcus Smart said Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown needed to look to pass more I thought that was the final nail in the coffin for Smart and he would certainly be traded. Wrong again, instead Tatum turned himself into an all-world playmaker and an MVP candidate. (He won’t win but he is in the conversation) Brown has more slowly started to make plays. Sometimes he still gets caught seeing a play too late. But his overall playmaking has improved. He is great at drawing the defender of a big man and dumping it off for an easy layup.
I was on the record saying trade Smart and Robert Williams for Sabonis or Miles Turner or someone to facilitate the offense. On this, I was DEAD WRONG. Williams and Smart are the lynchpins of the NBA’s best defense. Both in the discussion for Defensive Player of the Year, Smart has been doing some serious campaigning.
Not only was Smart a defensive wizard this year, but I also could not believe how well he filled in as the Point Guard. It turns out that to unlock the best version of Smart of offense he needs the ball in his hands. Not to shoot but to make the right reads that put guys like Tatum and Brown into the best position to score. Also, his chemistry with Robert Williams on lob plays was off the charts good.
As I said, I had a feeling they would reach the 50 wins plattaeu but I didn’t know it would be done in this way. If the Celtics can get Robert Williams back and healthy for the playoffs this team could make a deep run into the playoffs. Even without Williams, there is a good chance to win a series or two. Just like we all predicted.
The Never Weres 
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