Although they have had a few slow games this postseason in the NBA Playoffs, the Boston Celtics have generally performed well. In the opening round of the playoffs, the Celtics faced the Miami Heat, and they prevailed in five games overall. Boston was dominating the first round until they lost the second game at home. The Celtics are currently facing the Cleveland Cavaliers, and it seems like the series is going in the same way.
Similar to what happened against the Heat, Boston won game one against the Cavaliers before losing game two at home. After that, the series moved to Cleveland, and in Games 3 and 4, the Celtics dominated. They currently lead the series 3-1 and need only one more victory to secure a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.
With a 64-18 record at the end of the regular season, the Celtics were by far the best team in the East and the NBA. In the end, the New York Knicks were 14 games behind the Celtics in second place in the East. Madness.
Seven games behind the Celtics, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets shared the best record in the West with 57-25. Boston is the clear favorite to win it all because they were the best team in the league the whole season.
Although the Celtics are currently playing well, Udonis Haslem, a former big man for the Heat, is worried about their chances of making the playoffs. Since most of the league’s best teams are in the West, Boston isn’t really being tested at this point. Haslem believes that if the Celtics aren’t put to the test before the NBA Finals, it might be detrimental.
Udonis Haslem makes an insightful observation. When the Celtics play a team that is superior to the opposition they saw in the East in the NBA Finals, they can be taken off guard. That will be something to consider going forward in the postseason.
