When Gordon Hayward went down with a season-ending ankle injury during the Celtics‘ first game of the 2017/18 season, the club’s fan base initially shifted its focus to next year, when Hayward would be fully recovered and youngsters like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown would have another year of experience under their belts.
However, Hayward’s absence didn’t slow down the Celtics — the team was the No. 1 seed in the East for much of the season. Boston eventually ceded that top spot to the Raptors, but maintained a stranglehold on the No. 2 spot. And while the C’s may not have been a legit title contender without Hayward, there was a sense that the Kyrie Irving-led squad had a chance to make it out of the East.
Much of that hope was extinguished today when the Celtics announced that Irving would undergo another procedure on his knee that will sideline him for the postseason and keep him on the shelf for four or five months. The C’s will now head into the playoffs without either of their star veteran acquisitions from the 2017 offseason.
While the Celtics’ chances of making a deep playoff run look significantly diminished, it’s worth noting that the club hasn’t exactly fallen off a cliff without its star point guard in the lineup. Irving played his last game on March 11 vs. Indiana. Since then, the C’s have posted a respectable 7-4 record, with wins over the Thunder, Blazers, Jazz, and Raptors. Of their four losses, three were on the road against playoff teams (New Orleans, Milwaukee, and Toronto) and the fourth was a double-overtime nail-biter vs. the Wizards.
In other words, even without Irving and Hayward on the floor, the Celtics are a well-coached and dangerous team that will be a tough out in the playoffs.
Still, as ESPN’s Kevin Pelton writes, the club’s postseason run figures to be shorter than it would be for the average No. 2 seed. Pelton suggests that the Celtics should remain favorites in the first round against Miami, Milwaukee, or Washington, but may head into round two as underdogs.
What do you think? Can the Celtics still win a round or two – or even three – in the playoffs? Or will the injury bug ultimately result in an early exit for the East’s No. 2 seed? Vote in our poll and jump into the comment section below to weigh in!
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Wizards at full health on top of their game would beat them in six.
That’s very tough because even with the injuries, I can still see them winning the East. I don’t doubt Stevens for a second with coaching this group and this team still has some very good talent. I’m personally not expecting a conference championship this year, but it is not out of the question at all.
W/out Kyrie the C’s can’t beat the Bucks, Raptors, 76ers, Wizards. Tough break
Sure they can. I’m not sleeping on guys like Horford, Brown, or Tatum for a second and guys like Marcus Morris, Rozier, and even Greg Monroe have been big for the ram lately. I absolutely think they have just as good of a shot to win those series.
they would probably get even further if they still had Isaiah Thomas.
It depends on the round 1 matchup. I think they can beat Miami, but would struggle with Washington and Milwaukee. Stevens is a great coach though and could easily find a way to beat any of those teams.
KCelts. Conference Championship is in no way a possibility now.
I do give the C’s credit for playing as well as they have with all the injuries. That said, once the playoffs start and the game slows down, you need a top quality scorer like Irving to get crunch time buckets.
I think they win their first round series, but they don’t get by Cleveland in the second.
Celtics have won at least 5 games this year at t he buzzer and the shots were made all by different players. Anyone on this team could hit a buzzer beater or clutch shot. I mean Smart can be deadly as the shot clock winds down. That being said, I believe this team with smart Rozie4 and Larkin healthy would do damage because their defense will be very solid. Offensively, Tatum, Horford, Brown, Morris, Larkin can knock down open shots. I’ve watched every game this year and most of them two or three times and they are rock solid on defense with what they have now. They were dominant with everyone healthy but even with the lost personnel due to injury, collectively speaking they are better defensively than most teams. Add Stevens to the equation and I think they get to the second round. They have over achieved all year. So I’m a believer that they will do well. Not as well as they may next season but even still they are formidable. Go Cs!!
I’m a huge celtics fan too… but why are you watching every single game 3 times? lol
You can’t on the Celts playing with “the heart” that they had with Thomas and Crowder. They’re more of a diaper-dandy talent-team now, except, much of the talent is injured. They will win 2 or 3 games.
Even a 7seed with players that don’t care very much will not want to lose the Boston series!
Diaper dandy team. Are you high. This team is much better than you describe. They beat Utah and Portland on their courts. They played Milwaukee to the end with out a point guard. You drastically underestimate this team. Diaper Dandy, my arse!
The Celtics should still be very good defensively. They have young depth on their bench. They’ll at least make it very interesting against any of the bottom 4 teams IMO. If they can get a little offensive efficiency from Rozier, Brown, and Tatum, and a bit more offensively from Horford, they could still win in the 1st round, and I wouldn’t be shocked
Sorry to say it but the Celtics are done for he season. Who is their leader on the floor when it gets tight against playoff experienced teams? Out in the first round. Get well and come back next season for a go if it.
How about Horford??
I kind of feel like they can beat Washington, and it would be very close with the Heat unless Dragic, Wade or Whiteside has a big series. I also think they could beat Indiana. That being said, it would still be really tough in those series, and those teams have guys that can put them over the top. If they go out in round 1, they’ll still regroup for next year, and likely be very, very good
I have a feeling the NBA will find a way for the Cavs to be in the Championship game again