OK. It’s your turn, Celtics.
The C’s have flown under the radar since they tipped off in October. They’ve had the luxury of coalescing into a bonafide team for all these months thanks to three unusual events.
First, the Red Sox made the postseason, which automatically put them third (or perhaps even fourth, depending on your winter preferences) in the municipal pecking order. It wasn’t a long run for the Red Sox, but the Patriots’ improbable run to the Super Bowl, which started around the same time, captured the region’s attention. And as soon as that ended, we went three extra weeks with a thrilling winter olympiad, featuring twin golds for U.S. men’s and women’s hockey.
That was more than enough to keep us interested. In between, the Bruins and Celtics have fought for the table scraps.
Despite the fact that the Celtics were the sport’s first dynasty — not to mention one of the more remarkable stories in sports history — Boston is considered a hockey city first. Recent weather events can perhaps explain why.
But most recently, it’s been the Celtics carrying the winter. Three years ago, while the Bruins were choking against the Florida Panthers, the Celtics made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. The following season, the C’s won it all. And last year, they lost Jayson Tatum with a ruptured achilles tendon.
The Celtics ran into further trouble when they ran afoul of the league luxury tax, and General Manager Brad Stevens bad to jettison the likes of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday to make room under the cap. With those two gone (though Porzingis seemed to always be hurt), and without Tatum, the Celtics weren’t expected to do much.
But here they are. It’s Feb. 25 and they’re 37-19 (percentage points better than the Knicks and second in the East). Five games behind the Detroit Pistons, it seems unlikely they’ll finish first. But who thought they’d be doing this well? Not me. I’ll say that.
It helps to have one very motivated star on your team, and the Celtics definitely have that in Jaylen Brown. In 51 games, Brown — who has been the Scottie Pippen to Tatum’s Michael Jordan for the last few years — is averaging 29 points. He has been everything for the Celtics — a true superstar and easily the team’s MVP.
Of course, one of the many things the Celtics have going for them is Stevens, who is clearly the antithesis of my favorite punching bag: Bruins GM Don Sweeney. Stevens doesn’t miss when it comes to getting value in his deals.
This was supposed to be kind of a bridge year for the Celtics. Stevens apparently can’t stand the term. He’s created something out of what was supposed to be a mess, and coach Joe Mazzulla has done a great job putting it together. Payton Pritchard and Derrick White have combined with Brown to give the Celtics a genuine Big Three.
Not to be too much of a Pollyanna here. There doesn’t seem to be much championship talent behind The Big Three. Guys have had their moments, but without huge nights from the Big Three, the Celtics have a tough time. Yet, more often than not, they indeed get big nights from Pritchard, White, and Brown.
Will they raise No. 19 to the rafters this season? Probably not. There are so many teams bunched around the Celtics, most of them deeper. Like the Patriots, perhaps, they have outkicked their coverage thus far. Time will tell.
But isn’t it nice that in an era, especially in the NBA, in which tanking is the preferred method of building, we have a team that would rather give its fans an honest night’s work on the court?
That may be a byproduct of good, old-fashioned Celtics pride. But it’s also a byproduct of Brad Stevens, who concedes nothing. He’s definitely a guy you can root for.
