While the Celtics endured the midseason malaise, rotating between wins and losses, they’ve looked right back to their championship selves in recent games. After beating the Nets on Tuesday, they’re now 50-19 as they keep racking up wins.
All those victories have given the Celtics a unique opportunity for the rest of the regular season. Between multiple factors, the C’s are given not only the chance to rest guys how they see fit, but to also tinker with different lineups, players and roles for the remainder of the season.
“The season has presented numerous opportunities for us to work with different lineups,” C’s coach Joe Mazzulla said. “I’d say we’re a little bit more prepared from an identity standpoint than we were in the past because we’ve had so many different lineups and different combinations that we’ve been able to play.”
The Celtics have 13 games left in the regular season, and looking at the East standings, they don’t have much time to move either up or down. They’re currently six games back of the first-place Cavaliers, who are 56-13. The third-place Knicks, who are 43-25, are 6.5 games behind them. So as long those teams tread water, their playoff positioning is unlikely to move in the short-term.
Then there’s another factor: the Celtics have an easy schedule to finish out the year. They embark on a six-game road trip, starting with the Jazz on Friday, but only two of those games are against teams with a winning record (the Kings and Grizzlies). Then, over their final seven games, they only have one game against a winning team, which is an April 8 matchup against the Knicks in New York. Even for that game, seeding will likely already be wrapped up.
So, expect the Celtics to start resting their guys going forward. That was already seen when both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were out Tuesday against the Nets, the first time this season the C’s sat both All-Stars. That’ll be the case for other starters, whether it’s Derrick White, Jrue Holiday or Al Horford.
The nuanced case is Kristaps Porzingis, who recently missed eight games with an illness. He’s played in the past two games, both wins over the Nets, but it’s clear he’s not 100% back yet. So the Celtics need to balance allowing Porzingis to get back into game shape while making sure he’s healthy for the playoffs. On the big man’s side, it’s clear he wants to play after the latest lengthy absence.
“I need to get in the best shape,” Porzingis said. “Now after the illness, it’s taking me a little bit. But with each day a little bit better and somehow the schedule kind of working out for me right now. ... So just working my way back to the best shape and look forward to having my best shape now going into the postseason.”
While the Celtics rest guys going forward, they also get another added benefit of being able to showcase their depth. First-round pick Baylor Scheierman scored a career-high 20 points against the Nets, making the most of his minutes. Torrey Craig was signed ahead of the playoffs and the C’s can still incorporate him. So it’s not all just that the regulars are out — the depth guys also get a boost.
Regardless, the Celtics don’t have too many games left against premier competition. This part of the regular season is odd as some teams are tanking, others like the Celtics are cruising and others are fighting for playoff positioning. There are some negatives to the easy schedule, but the best the C’s can do is navigate the rest of the schedule as they see fit.
