Coming out of the All-Star break a season ago, the Celtics held a one-game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks atop the Eastern Conference. However, Boston stumbled out of the break, losing four of their first seven games.
Milwaukee capitalized on the opportunity and claimed the top seed just five days after the resumption of play following the All-Star break. From then on, the Bucks never looked back, holding the top spot in the East throughout the rest of the season.
In hindsight, the two-seed was more beneficial for the Celtics – but that’s old news.
This year’s circumstances are quite different. With the Celtics holding a commanding six-game lead in the Eastern Conference, things would have to go horribly wrong for them to surrender that top spot.
Nevertheless, the upcoming stretch of games remains important for the Celtics as they return from the All-Star break – particularly beginning Saturday night in New York against the Knicks.
Starting Saturday night, the Celtics are slated to play seven consecutive games on national television, with eight of their next 10 matchups broadcasted nationally over nearly a three-week span.
Why does this matter?
Well, first of all, it speaks to just how good the Celtics are. Seven consecutive nationally televised games? That’s almost unheard of.
On a more serious note, according to Tankathon, the Celtics have the third-easiest remaining schedule in the league, with opponents posting a combined winning percentage of .463 – a figure influenced by the fact that 12 (63.1%) of the Celtics’ final 19 games are against teams with a sub-.500 record.
However, over this 10-game stretch, the Celtics will face formidable opponents on the national stage. Eight of these matchups will be against teams currently in the postseason picture, including the reigning champions, the Denver Nuggets, the second-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, the Knicks, and two games against the Phoenix Suns.
Furthermore, as part of the Sunday Showcase series, the Celtics will host the Golden State Warriors at TD Garden. Despite the Warriors’ current struggles, with a record of 27-26, this game feels like a measuring stick for Boston. Especially considering Golden State beat them in mid-December, sparking NBA Finals flashbacks.
“The regular season is there for a reason. You have to build the right habits. You have to build chemistry. Things like that,” Jayson Tatum said in a recent ESPN interview. “There’s a difference from last year. And we had a really good team last year. I love where we’re at this season compared to last season.”
Fair or not, all comparisons of this year’s Celtics are to last year – and so far, the Celtics have demonstrated that they are in a much better position than they were a season ago. This upcoming stretch provides another opportunity to bolster that case while providing another test with the postseason less than two months away.
Jayson Tatum’s MVP push
The momentum behind Tatum’s MVP push is really starting to gain traction – another crucial factor to consider during this stretch of games.
Tatum currently ranks fifth in the Kia MVP Ladder behind Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Doncic. The Celtics will face off against Jokic and Doncic during this stretch.
Additionally, Boston has two more matchups with Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, as well as a game at TD Garden against Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder in the coming weeks.
It’s a bit surprising that recognition is just now catching up, especially considering Tatum’s role as the best player on the best team, along with his outstanding statistical season.
Nonetheless, in the wake of endorsements from talking heads such as Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins, the soon-to-be four-time All-NBA wing has an opportunity to further solidify that momentum and demonstrate why he should be considered the favorite on a national stage.
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