Formerly Struggling Celtics Beginning to Find their Footing

Gordon Hayward and the Celtics are getting into rhythm, and that could be trouble for the rest of the Eastern Conference.

By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

The Celtics’ offense has exploded recently, posting at least 118 points in each of their last three games, all three of which were victories. Only the Celtics have a current streak of that nature in the NBA. For the franchise, Boston has accomplished the feat for the first time since March 1994.

Gordon Hayward was the most valuable player on Saturday’s 118-109 win at the Minnesota Timber-highlighters, as Hayward became the first Celtic since Kyrie Irving in 2017 to attempt double-digit free throws in one contest. Gordon’s performance off the bench was impressive, especially on the second night of a back-to-back. He became just the third reserve in NBA history to score 30 points, grab nine rebounds and dish out eight assists in a contest.

Plenty of Milestones in Sight for the 2018-19 Boston Celtics

By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

The Celtics have a very similar roster to last year, but fans hope that the playoff roster rotation is vastly different from the one that fell to the Cleveland LeBroniers in the 2018 postseason.

Before looking ahead to 2018-19, let us rewind to the previous season with some team milestones. The 2017-18 Celtics allowed fewer than 10 offensive rebounds per game for the first time in franchise history.

In addition, the Celtics were the best in the league in defense. Boston allowed the second-lowest opponent effective field goal percentage in the NBA last season, and the team was strong in preventing corner 3-point attempts. Celtics’ opponents attempted just 18 percent of their 3-pointers from the corner, the best mark in the NBA last year.

How Far Can Celtics Fans Expect their Team to Go?

By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

With Boston heading into a key Game 2 tonight against Milwaukee, Cleveland facing an early 0-1 hole in its series against Indiana, and the Sixers tied with Miami, it seems like the East might be as up for grabs as it has been in some time.

So, can the beaten and battered Celtics turn this season into a run to the NBA Finals?

Or, can the Celtics at least defend their way to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals appearances?

What Can We Realistically Expect from the New-Look Celtics?

With Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward in the fold, talent won't be a problem for Boston. But, with so many new faces, chemistry might be.

By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

The Boston Celtics will tip off the 2017-18 season in a week's time when they visit Quicken Loans Arena to take on the defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers. Kyrie Irving will visit his not-so-old stomping grounds and the only NBA stadium that he called home for his first six professional seasons.

The Green has not fared well in Cleveland recently. Though Brad Stevens’ squad had Avery Bradley’s miracle shot fall in to give the coach his only ever conference finals victory, Boston has dropped six of its last eight games at “the Q.”

Do Celtics, Anyone, Have a Chance Against Golden State This Year?

By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

Why the Warriors’ Chances at 2018 Title are Still Sky High

While Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks dominate the current NBA news, the Warriors are readying themselves to defend their second championship in the last three years as the NBA’s heavy favorite to win the 2018 Finals.

Golden State is getting the band back together after registering the league’s best offensive efficiency, effective field goal percentage and true-shooting percentage during last year’s regular season. Although they were the Western Conference’s worst squad in terms of defensive rebounding, they were among the league’s top teams on the defensive end of the basketball.

After a Busy Offseason, What Can We Really Expect from the Celtics?

Celtics GM Danny Ainge has been hoarding assets and promising fireworks for years now. Did he deliver this offseason?

By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

One year ago, I wrote about how the Celtics, who had just signed Al Horford, were in talks to bring in either Russell Westbrook or Blake Griffin.

We now know that those acquisitions were long shots, but the Celtics’ transaction buzz remains ongoing.

After signing Gordon Hayward and trading Avery Bradley, the Celtics are rumored to be in the market for three-time All-Star, and 2012-13 Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol.

After a seemingly successful draft and early offseason, the Celtics are Las Vegas’ third-most likely team to win a title, at 15-to-2 odds for the NBA championship.

However, just like 2016, the Cleveland Cavaliers lurk at 5-to-1 odds for the title, and LeBron’s squad has overwhelming odds at winning the conference. Can Boston get over that hump in the East?

Bob Lobel: More Excitement than Boston Planned for this Summer

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

Back with, hopefully, something to say. 

This seems like a no action spring and summer, but look more closely. The NBA has had a much more exciting and event filled offseason than anything that happened during the regular season and playoffs. Yes, the finals were eye-opening to many who had no clue about the skill set it takes to play championship basketball in this era. Now we all know it’s a skill that borders on the unbelievable, with the remarkable talent that it takes to win. 

Remarkable.

Bob Lobel: A Massive Sports Weekend that Can Only Happen in Boston

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

Just wondering if the Red Sox are paying attention to the success of the Bruins since the firing of head coach Claude Julian. 

Not saying anything, just wondering. Probably not, but maybe. 

It's been pretty hard to ignore, actually.

That brings us to this weekend, when there is an amazing coming together of everyone in just such a short period of time. All here in Boston, and all in a span of days. The Red Sox on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, especially Monday. The Bruins on Monday night at the TD Garden. The Celtics open the playoffs at home at the Garden on Sunday, and the backdrop of this whole excess of playoff sports and the Patriots Day game is the 121st running of the Boston Marathon. 

This might be labeled overkill, but it is a rare thing indeed. 

By The Numbers: Breaking Down the Celtics vs the Bulls

By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

When I previewed the first-round Eastern Conference matchups, I picked the Celtics in five games, as if they were “just another No. 1 seed.” However, as Sean Grande points out, the Celtics own the worst scoring margin of any No. 1 seed since the NBA and ABA merged.

Boston climbed to the top spot after the Cleveland Cavaliers faltered in March and April, including four consecutive losses to end the regular season. The race for the top seed could either be described as the ‘tortoise and the hare,’ or simply no one wanting to have homecourt throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Well, either way, here we are in mid-April, and the Celtics are facing the Chicago Bulls in the playoffs for just the second time since 1987. If the 2009 first-round series is any indication, then we are in for a treat when these two teams tip off on Sunday evening at TD Garden.

Merry Celts-mass: Previewing the Celtics vs Knicks

By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

With Isaiah Thomas back at the helm, the Boston Celtics have put together a four-game winning streak that included a 17-point comeback at Memphis. Thomas scored a career-high 44 points in the overtime victory against the Grizzlies, and the Celtics will face a huge test tonight against Oklahoma City.

Boston next heads into Madison Square on Christmas, and the Green hopes to have a better result than they did exactly five years ago in the same building.

In the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, the NBA began regular season play on Christmas Day with the New York Knicks hosting the Celtics, and Carmelo Anthony’s game-high 37 points led the Knickerbockers to a 106-104 victory in the back-and-forth contest. Anthony along with Avery Bradley, who played fewer than 10 minutes on December 25, 2011, are the only Knicks and Celtics players currently on the same roster as they were for the first game of the 2011-12 season.

Can the Celtics Truly Contend in 2017?

By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

We are just 11 months away from the 2017 NBA Finals, and the Celtics could become one of the favorites to the win them in the coming weeks. There have been rumblings from around the league that Blake Griffin and Russell Westbrook could be in green very soon.

Boston’s current NBA championship odds are the fourth-best in the league, with the only significant move being the replacement of young, lumbering zero-time all-star Jared Sullinger with 30-year-old four-time all-star Al Horford.

The Celtics Poised for an Eventful Draft Night

Will Celtics GM Danny Ainge (left) make Brad Stevens' job easier on draft night? The former Celtics guard will certainly have plenty of assets to work with, as the C's boast eight picks in the 2016 NBA Draft.

By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

Thursday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, sixty players will enter the National Basketball Association in the 70th NBA draft.

There are three teams with three picks in the first round – the Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns. In the first NBA draft, the NBA was known as the Basketball Athletic Association (BAA), and the Celtics also had the third pick in that draft.

The only team other than Boston to keep its city and name from the inaugural draft in 1947, the New York Knicks, do not have a first-round pick in the 2016 draft. For the second time in three years, and the third time in the last five years, Carmelo Anthony’s squad is unable to bolster the team’s talent with a selection in the first round.

Neither New York team owns a first-round selection, as the other Atlantic Division teams took advantage of them. The Toronto Raptors’ ninth selection is from the Knicks, and the Paul Pierce/Kevin Garnett trade is still paying dividends for the Celtics, who have improved their record by 23 wins over the last two seasons.

Game 5 Was Ugly, But It's Not Over for the Celtics (UPDATE: It is Over)

By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

Ed. Note- Yep, it's over. Sorry guys.

When I previewed each of the Celtics’ potential first-round opponents, my verdict for the team Boston wanted face was: “Not the Hawks.” Tuesday’s contest, including Atlanta’s 42-point third quarter in Game 5, was the reason I wrote that.

Coming into Game 5’s 27-point loss, the Celtics’ worst losses of the 2015-16 season were both by 24 points. One of those contests was against the Clippers at Staples Center, and the other was, of course, against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena.

Who Do the Celtics Want to Face in the First Round?

By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

Each of the three Celtics’ potential first-round opponents, the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat, will most likely enter the 2016 playoffs without one of the players that was part of their rotation entering this season: Tiago Splitter, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Chris Bosh, respectively.

Meanwhile, the C’s have been very fortunate on the injury front this season, as they are fully healthy entering the last week of the season. In fact, six of their top seven minutes-per-game producers have played more than 70 games this season. In addition, Marcus Smart and Kelly Olynyk would finish with an average of 65 games played if each play in the final two contests.

But, how confident should the Celtics feel with one of the lowest strengths of schedule in the NBA this season? On Saturday, Boston fell to the Hawks, with the loss giving Atlanta the season series, and therefore, the tiebreaker in the standings. The C’s are seeking to sweep their season series against the Hornets and Heat, as they host those squads at TD Garden on Monday and Wednesday, respectively.

So, who should Boston be hoping to draw in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs? Let's take a look at the candidates.

Bob Lobel: Those Sports Stories That Never Die

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

Sometimes you just sit in front of this computer and nothing comes out. 

Empty. 

I plead guilty. 

Bob Lobel: The Phony GMs of Sports Talk Radio

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

The last thing I want to do is offend anyone but, sometimes, it can't be helped.  

With that said, let me launch into the phenomenon of talk show calls offering trades to help the local club, no matter the sport. Why does this happen? Maybe they think one of the GMs might be listening, and the trade sounds so brilliant that the caller will be hired to come to work for said team that very day.

Plus, they'll be asked to ride in the next parade for the team that they, and they alone, fixed. 

Celtics Continue to Search for Consistent Scorers Other Than Isaiah Thomas

Isaiah Thomas has played at an All-Star level, but Boston's offense needs to step up around him.

By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

Isaiah Thomas is in the midst of scoring double-digit points in each of his last 33 regular season games, a streak that is just two contests short of his career-long one in 2014. However, the Celtics, who now own a bottom-10 offensive efficiency this season, have struggled recently. Friday’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks extended Boston’s losing streak to three games, which tied Brad Stevens’ longest streak of the season.

However, the Celtics own one of the league’s best point differentials due to their defense. Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk and Amir Johnson all rank in the top 20 in the NBA in defensive rating. Sullinger’s rebounding, especially on the defensive end, has been tremendous. In addition, Jae Crowder, Avery Bradley and Thomas have been steal machines this year while Johnson’s block percentage is strong.

Jared Sullinger Became a Double-Double Machine for Boston in November

By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

At halftime of Friday’s drubbing of the Washington Wizards, the Celtics already had three double-digit scorers and were en route to putting away Randy Wittman’s squad for the second time in November.

Jared Sullinger, who put up a season-high 21 points in November 6’s 118-98 victory over the Wizards, was once again a model of efficiency against Washington.

With 11 points and 12 rebounds at the half, Sullinger already had a double-double. He finished the contest as the only player to grab 10 or more rebounds, and he helped the Celtics to their third-best rebounding differential in a game this season. When outrebounding their opponent in 2015-16, the C’s are 7-1.

The Celtics Quietly Building One of the NBA's Best Defenses

Forward Jared Sullinger has been pivotal for Boston on the defensive end, and on the glass this season.

By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

Wednesday’s 18-point lead against the visiting Dallas Mavericks did not last long. The TD Garden crowd was roaring at referees Tony Brothers, Ben Taylor and Tony Brown for most of the game, but the Celtics have to be faulted for their frustrating shooting in the second, third and fourth quarters.

Boston’s 26th-ranked 3-point shooting started strong. The Celtics made three of their first five shots from downtown, but finished the game 5-for-21, including missing all six of their 3-point attempts in the second quarter.

However, the green bounced back on Friday to win yet another game by double digits. With Boston’s 120-95 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, the 7-5 Celtics have yet to win a game by fewer than 13 points this season. The seven victories of at least 10 points thus far this season already ties Boston’s total of double-digit victories during the entire 2006-07 season, and surpasses the team’s total in 1996-97.

According to ESPN’s Hollinger team statistics, the Celtics’ defense is tied with the San Antonio Spurs’ defense for the lowest number of points allowed per possession. The main reason for the green’s success is that the team is forcing the highest turnover percentage in the league this season.

Basketball-Reference’s Defensive Box Plus/Minus, which measures a players’ per-possession performance relative to the league average, has three Celtics in the top ten: Jared Sullinger, Amir Johnson and Jae Crowder.

Celtics Look to Stay Afloat Amid Injuries and Shooting Woes

Jae Crowder has been a bright spot, but the Celtics need to get healthy and find some touch beyond the arc.

By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

Wednesday was not a very strong night for the Avery Bradley-less Celtics, as they fell back to below .500 by losing to Paul George and the Indiana Pacers for already the second time this season.

In his pink sneakers, George extended his career-long streak of scoring at least 25 points to five games in the Pacers’ 102-91 win on Veterans Day, moving Indiana to 5-4 and dropping Boston to 3-4.

On the first night of the back-to-back, the visiting Celtics defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in front of a small crowd, in spite of some weak 3-point shooting by the green. However, the C’s needed to sink more shots from downtown to win the next night against the Pacers, who were more effective from 3-point land. Tuesday and Wednesday were two of the Celtics’ three worst 3-point shooting nights of the young season.

Although it is a small sample size, when Boston shoots 20.7 percent or worse from 3-point, they are 0-2. While it's already happened twice this year, the C’s shot that poorly from 3-point only twice in their 82 regular season games last season.