Suddenly, The Celtics Look Better than Their Odds.

It’s funny. The Celtics never really felt like a 4 seed, did they? With all that talent, with the playoff experience the young guys gained over the course of last year’s Hayward and Kyrie-less playoff run when they came within a few minutes of making the Finals, and with a healthy Hayward and Kyrie, it felt like they were going to live up to the pre-season expectations of a Finals appearance and a chance at another banner in the rafters. 

But then the actual season took place, it felt like an 82 game season just wasn’t as exciting as a win-or-go-home 7 game series. The Celtics looked flat, bored, and uninspired, eyes on April when they could play against someone other than the Knicks. Sure, they had some inspiring games, like that 33 point win over the Warriors in Oakland, but those felt few and far between. You got a sense that they had come together in such a magical way during the playoffs last year, when they were absent their two biggest stars, and nobody gave them a chance. It was a Bad News Bears situation, a rag-tag group of complimentary players, who each brought their own individual game to a next level, and all the pieces fit together so well that they almost pulled off one of the greatest upsets in playoff history. 

But they didn’t. And the stars came back. And everyone had to go back to their previous roles. Here’s a look at how the points and minutes from last year’s playoff starters compared to this year’s stats:

                    2018 Playoffs                          2019 Regular Season

Jason Tatum                            18.5 PPG/35.9 MPG                          15.7 /31.1

Jaylen Brown                          18.0 PPG/32.4 MPG                           13.0/25.9

Terry Rozier                            16.5 PPG/33.6 MPG                             9.0/22.7

Al Horford                               15.7 PPG/35.7 MPG                           13.6/29.0

Marcus Morris                        12.4 PPG/29.6 MPG                           13.9/27.9

Marcus Smart                           9.8 PPG/29.9 MPG                            8.9/27.5

Not to say that guys like Brown and Rozier were mailing it in as their minutes and scoring went significantly down, but during the regular season, there just wasn’t the same energy and excitement. Then again, it could be that everyone was just waiting for Hayward’s other leg to snap.

But now it’s the playoffs again! The fever has struck again! With memories rekindled as to how awesome they could be when the pressure is on, it looks like the Celtics we thought we’d be getting all season long. All the same cast of last year’s miracle team, plus two of the best players in the NBA! Oh, and did we mention, they’re still underdogs in this whole thing at +300!

How can you not place a wager on this team?

You say they’ve got a date with the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2^ndround? Well, guess what? Thanks to their sweep of the Pacers, the Celtics have an entire week off. That’s a whole week to:

• Getting valuable rest
• Watch every second of tape of Giannis
• Let Marcus Smart heal a little more.
• Watching even more tape of Giannis

The Celtics are fun again, and as a number 4 seed in the East, they’re also a great team to place a bet on.