NBA Power Rankings week 14: OKC Thunder among the ‘road warriors’
30-15. Previous: 12th. Boston Celtics. 6. team. 18.
Boston Celtics:
Offense: (112.1) 6th
Defense: (105.5) 4th
Net: (plus +6.6) tied 3rd
Results Week 14: (3-1): Won vs. Lakers: 107-139, Grizzlies: 119-95, Magic: 109-98, Lost to Pelicans: 108-123
Games Week 15: (3 games) Tues at Heat | Thurs vs. Warriors | Sat vs. 76ers
The Celtics rebounded nicely from a stretch that witnessed the team go 2-6 with a 3-1 week. In particular, the win over the Lakers was of the statement nature and seemingly buoyed the club instilling them with confidence.
That said, during the above noted losing streak the Celtics played three road games and lost all three. On the horizon eight of their next 13 games are on the road with five against seeded teams. Much like the Jazz in the West, this upcoming period will offer fodder for how good this Celtics team truly is.
The win over the Lakers is a bit of an outlier as the Bean Town crew hasn’t feasted on teams with larger frontcourts and it still feels like that will be a problem in the postseason. That Danny Ainge won’t ever do a deal without completely taking advantage of his peer also may be an issue since Sam Presti, for example, won’t concede any of his frontcourt vets to add to the lore of Ainge.
Steven Adams would immediately improve the Celts odds but presumably, Presti wouldn’t part with the Big Kiwi unless one of Tatum or Brown were sent in return – hence (thankfully) that’s not likely to happen
Suffice to say, it will be very interesting to see where the Celtics sit after these 13 upcoming games.
On the All-Star front, Kemba Walker will start and Jayson Tatum will be on the bubble as a potential reserve addition.