2023 NBA Playoffs – Page 39 – Syndication Server

Should the Boston Celtics be worried about facing the 76ers in the playoffs?

Or was the tilt that nearly ended badly for Boston more of a context-dependent thing that is not likely to happen to the Celtics again?

In a recent contest between the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers, it took pretty much everything the Celtics had to beat the Sixers, and even then only avoided a last-second full-court heave by star Philly big man Joel Embiid going in and sending the game into a second overtime by milliseconds.

Should the Celtics be worried about facing the 76ers in the playoffs given how close the team came to losing the road game? Or was the tilt that nearly ended badly for Boston more of a context-dependent thing that is not likely to happen to the Celtics again?

For quite some time, the Celtics have dominated the meetings between the two Atlantic Division rivals.

The hosts of the CLNS Media “Vitamin Cs” podcast recently dived into this question; take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics Lab 173: On whether rest, seeding, or meshing matters most for the Celtics’ stretch run with Evan Valenti

With 19 games left in the 2022-23 regular season, the Celtics need to make some decisions on how they’ll close out this campaign.

The Boston Celtics are inside of the last quarter of the 2022-23 NBA season and will need to make some decisions on whether to prioritize getting to the postseason as healthy as possible or pushing as hard as they can for the best playoff seeding possible. They also need to find opportunities for their ostensible starters to play more than the sparse minutes they have had together — but need to tinker a bit to maximize bench rotations as well.

With just 19 games left in this season at the time of this writing, the Milwaukee Bucks in the East’s first-place slot with a half-game lead, and the Philadelphia 76ers far enough behind that the Celtics ought to be safe from falling lower than the No. 2 seed. But could the other late-season priorities — or the Bucks’ seeming inability to lose — change the calculus of the ball club?

To get a handle on where the team is at as we enter the meat of the stretch run, the hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast linked up with “Celtics Beat” co-host Evan Valenti.

We also get into Boston’s recent play against the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers, Grant Williams’ surprising DNP-CD vs. the Cavs, rumbles of Celtics ownership having an interest in European football ownership again, and much, much more.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Do the Boston Celtics starters have enough time to mesh before the playoffs?

Nagging injuries and other issues have kept Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, and Robert Williams III apart for the vast majority of the season.

The Boston Celtics bulldozed their way to the 2022 NBA Finals with an absolutely brutal starting five last season. They return with all of the same starters in better health — with increased depth behind them — this season.

The problem for this season’s Celtics starters is they have had very little chance to play together as a unit. Nagging injuries and other issues have kept Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford and Robert Williams III apart for the vast majority of the minutes the club has played so far.

Will Boston’s starting five have enough time to mesh before the start of the season?

Brian Robb, the host of the CLNS Media “Winning Plays” podcast, was joined by MassLive’s Souichi Terada on a recent episode.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say about it.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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NBA title tiers: Where do the Boston Celtics stack up against their peers?

Which are the teams that could realistically have a shot at winning the 2023 NBA Championship?

As the NBA heads into the stretch run ahead of the 2023 NBA playoffs, which teams realistically have a shot at winning the championship?

The Boston Celtics have been a favorite most of the 2022-23 season. The Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers have been considered potential contenders in the league’s Eastern Conference. The Miami Heat perhaps have a fringe claim as well. In the West, the Phoenix Suns elevated themselves to the top of the pack by trading for Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant.

The Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks are in a tier below them, and maybe if you squint, you can include the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans, too.

The folks over at the Athletic’s Game Theory podcast recently debated this topic; take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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New Bleacher Report projection places Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns in 2023 NBA Finals

They also see another grueling path for Boston to get there — but will they win it all?

The Boston Celtics are by many accounts seen as the team most likely to win it all in 2023. But Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes has gone a step further, mapping out the entire 2023 NBA Playoffs from the first rounds of both the Eastern and Western Conferences all the way to picking a winner for the 2023 NBA Championship.

Hughes breaks down each potential matchup the Celtics and other postseason participants may face in detail, with Boston making a deep run yet again to the Finals, but let’s dive into whether the team achieves the goal of star Celtics forward Jayson Tatum of hanging his first (and Boston’s 18th) banner.

Fittingly, the path envisioned by Hughes for the Celtics is not unlike what they faced in 2022.

Celtics Lab 172: From the Celtics State of the Union to the Final Frontier with Sopan Deb https://t.co/dua7di8Aur

— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) February 22, 2023

Where are the Boston Celtics compared to their peers in the league at the top of the stretch run?

The Celtics were not the only team to change up their roster at the 2023 trade deadline.

With the festivities of the NBA’s 2023 NBA All-Star week now firmly in the rearview mirror, the Boston Celtics turn their attention to the stretch run and their plans to reach the 2023 NBA Finals.

The Celtics were not the only team to change their roster at the 2023 trade deadline in search of more depth or star power. Some squads went quite hard to improve their roster and pursue a championship. Where are the Celtics compared to their peers in the league at the top of the stretch run?

Host George Balekji of the official NESN YouTube channel recently put together a clip seeking to answer all of the issues noted above.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what he had to say.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Paul Pierce offers sage advice for Boston Celtics of today in their title hunt

“Worry about the playoffs when the playoffs come, but right now, we have got to take care of business in the regular season,” offered The Truth.

“Going into the All-Star break, what do you want to see from the Cs, finishing off strong?”

Hall of Fame Boston Celtics big man Kevin Garnett asked former Celtics teammate Paul Pierce that question in a recent clip tweeted by KG from their podcast “Ticket and the Truth.”

“This is something Doc (Rivers) always told us — ‘Don’t get bored with the process,'” replied Pierce, perhaps alluding to recent stumbles by Boston against lesser squads like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Orlando Magic this season. “They’ve got the best record, but you can easily be like ‘We can’t wait for the playoffs.'”

“The process is taking care of the regular season because that’ll carry over to the playoffs because they know the ultimate goal is to win a championship.”

This is every player in Boston’s history who wore the Celtics’ No. 14 jersey for at least one game as of September 2022. https://t.co/tWpVsnFNrH

— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) January 24, 2023

“So, that’s just one piece of advice,” Pierce added. “Don’t get bored with practice; come in on days off, get your shots up, get out there and get the teams you’re supposed to beat, go ahead and beat them.”

“Worry about the playoffs when the playoffs come, but right now, we have got to take care of business in the regular season. Make sure you get home-court advantage.”

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Do longer teams like the Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls present a playoff threat to the Boston Celtics?

For whatever reason, the Boston Celtics have had a lot of trouble beating longer ball clubs like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Chicago Bulls, and most recently, the Orlando Magic.

Despite having the best record in the NBA, the Boston Celtics have had, for whatever reason, a lot of trouble beating longer ball clubs such as the Oklahoma City Thunder, Chicago Bulls and, most recently, the Orlando Magic.

What is it exactly about this sort of team that gives the Celtics so much trouble? And if Boston ends the season in the Eastern Conference’s top spot, is there concern the Celtics might struggle against one of these longer East teams should they face them in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs?

The hosts of the CLNS Media “Garden Report” podcast recently dived into this question after Boston flopped for the third time this season against the Magic on the road.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Boston Celtics projected to face Brooklyn Nets in first round again for third season running

Given the recent trend of the two Atlantic Division foes meeting, it’s a reasonable outcome.

It might be a little early for most fans of the Boston Celtics to start thinking about playoff seeding for the 2023 NBA Playoffs, but for Bleacher Report NBA analyst Greg Swartz, it’s been time to dip one’s toes in that particular pool for some time now.

And the B/R analyst put together a projection of how the East seeding situation will play out from Nos. 1 to 8 — and then did it again for the league’s West as well. That exercise of course included the Boston Celtics, who Swartz sees as destined to collide with their Atlantic Division foe, the Brooklyn Nets, in the first round once again as the top seed in the East.

“Things couldn’t be going much better for these Celtics,” begins the B/R writer.

A Celtics fan is designing a new uniform for each Boston win; here are all 20 so far https://t.co/T41tZ1qhZN

— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 7, 2022

Should the Boston Celtics reserve Robert Williams III for the postseason?

As wild as that idea might sound to some, it is a legitimate question given his health history.

Very soon, we can expect to see Boston Celtics big man Robert Williams III back on the court after a long convalescence following an arthroscopic cleanup surgery in the 2022 NBA offseason. With Timelord’s return will come a number of important decisions regarding rotations and how best to use his availability.

Some fans and analysts want to see Williams back on the court as much as possible to help anchor what has been a middling defense in his absence, while others are far more concerned with the postseason. Should the Boston Celtics reserve Robert Williams for the postseason?

As wild as that idea might sound to some, it is a legitimate question given his health history, and one discussed at length on a recent episode of the CLNS Media “A-List” podcast.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what the hosts had to say.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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