There is a tradition in Southeastern Conference football for teams, especially the powerhouses with championship aspirations, to schedule cream puffs in the final weeks of the regular season.
It’s more or less a half-bye, a chance for teams to play an opponent and get a good workout in without really having to challenge themselves or worry about losing before the important games still to come.
Given the SEC’s success on the national stage, it’s pretty hard to argue with that formula.
In 2025, the NBA has done the same thing for its defending champs. But for the Celtics, it might not actually be beneficial.
Boston has 13 games left, but last week’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder was one of the last real challenges the Celtics will face during the 2024-25 season.
Much of the Celtics' remaining schedule reads like Adam Silver’s list of invitees to send save-the-dates for the NBA Draft Lottery. And those who won’t get ping pong balls are headed to the play-in tournament. Contenders are scarce.
Playing San Antonio would have been fun if Victor Wembanyama and DeAaron Fox were healthy, but they aren’t. There even could have been valuable intel if Gregg Popovich was still coaching, just to see what game plan he’d draw up to combat them. But nobody gets worried about Devin Vassell.
Miami is a sad shell of the powerhouse rival the Celtics used to be able to count on facing almost annually in the playoffs. Phoenix is more disappointing than the second Joker movie.
Tuesday’s comfortable win over Brooklyn without Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum wasn’t an outlier. Boston will see a lot of G-League talent in NBA jerseys dow the stretch.
None of that tin is really going to prepare the Celtics for the iron they’ll face in the playoffs.
Boston has got more games left with Cooper-Flagg chasers — Utah, Washington and (two vs.) Charlotte — bottom four teams who’d be better off losing, than matchups against teams who are above .500. And of those three left, only one — Memphis on Monday — comes when teams are likely to still be using normal rotations.
Sacramento, which is just barely above .500 at 34-33 will be without Damontas Sabonis next week and by the time the Celtics face the other, the Knicks on April 8 at Madison Square Garden, Boston will certainly have their playoff seed locked up. “Don’t get rusty, but don’t get hurt” should be the prevailing philosophy.
Boston isn’t going to catch the likely No. 1-seed Cavaliers (who were seven games ahead before their late game in L.A.) and the presumptive No. 3 Knicks (six behind) aren’t going to catch them. Incentive will be in short supply.
Boston Celtics' Baylor Scheierman celebrates his 3-pointer during second half of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)AP
If the families of Baylor Scheierman or Jordan Walsh have been eager to see New England in the Spring, this April would be a good time to visit because those guys could see a lot of minutes in the final games of the year.
And while that’s great for making sure any illnesses, strains, sprains and mallet fingers are cleared up, it’s not useful preparation for a team, whose killer instinct already tends to drift.
A year ago, the Celtics were dominant in the postseason and route to Banner 18 with no series stretched longer than five games. But they did that by beating the Miami Heat without Jimmy Butler; the Cleveland Cavaliers without Donovan Mitchell; and the Indiana Pacers without Tyrese Haliburton.
That shouldn’t take away from what they accomplished. Teams can only beat the team in front of them and the Celtics not only beat inferior opponents, they did it decisively.
But the mountain will be taller this time. The Cavaliers are better. The Knicks are certainly hungry and potentially dangerous. And if the Celtics get to the finals, the to-be-determined West champion will undoubtedly be better than the Mavericks, who were underwhelming last year and not a threat to get back this year.
Joe Mazzulla’s challenge will be to keep his team improving or at least keep them from backsliding against the plankton remaining in the regular season so they’ll be ready for the playoff sharks ahead.
