NBA Week 15 Rewind: Celtics are heading for a special future
By Tom West
Who’s Heating Up?
The Boston Celtics have put on a masterclass in rebuilding. They may not have a championship-winning group of stars like the Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo Big 4 anymore, but behind a brilliant head coach in Brad Stevens and the front office work of Danny Ainge, they’re on their way to something special.
At 31-22 and 3rd place in the Eastern Conference, the Celtics have come so far from the 25-57, non-playoff team they were during the 2013-14 season. Even with first-time All-Star Isaiah Thomas and an underrated star in Jae Crowder, their team is still largely made up of players that would only be backups on contending teams. Yet, with their selfless nature and team play at both ends of the floor, coach Stevens has turned this group into such a tight-nit unit.
Ranking 2nd in the NBA in defensive efficiency, 2nd in steals per game (9.6) and 5th in assists per game (24.4) is a testament to that, and their ball movement and elite perimeter defense have become the trademarks of their team.
During their current hot stretch of nine wins in 10 games since January 22, the Celtics rank among the top few teams in most key areas of the game. At 3rd in rebounds (46.7), 2nd in assists (26.3), 1st in steals (10.4), 4th in points (110.7) and 4th in net rating (+10.1, per NBA.com), Boston have been brilliant as of late. From each member of the team stepping up when necessary, everyone maintaining defensive efficiency, making the extra pass and never needing to rely on one superstar to carry them forward, the Celtics have a perfect foundation to build upon.
Now, they have a ton of assets and draft picks to translate into the star they long for. We’ll have to wait and see if they make a big move before the deadline, but even if they don’t, their future is incredibly bright. The Eastern Conference needs to look out.
Kevin Durant seems almost forgotten at times this season. Stephen Curry has been such a transcendent scorer, the Warriors have been so dominant and the Spurs have been the closest point of comparison, which has left the Thunder as a forgotten 3rd seed in the West. Alongside Russell Westbrook’s eight triple-doubles, Durant has been the driving force of the Thunder.
We won’t ignore that Curry is the most prolific player in the NBA right now as his play this season is nothing short of incredible, yet that doesn’t mean we should overlook how special Durant is. With 27.7 points, a career-high 8.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game with 50.6/38.8/89.3 shooting percentages, he impacts so many elements of the game and maintains exceptional efficiency. When considering the amount of tough, contested shots he takes, that efficiency is even more impressive.
He’s been on an absolute tear recently, with two 40-point performances in his last six games and averages of 32.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and five assists over his last 10 games. Durant is almost impossible to stop, and the Magic know that only too well after he pulled-up to sink a game-winning three against them on February 3.
Chris Paul always rises to the occasion when his All-NBA teammate Blake Griffin is injured. The quadriceps injury and the broken hand from the infamous equipment staffer punch have put Griffin out for at least another five weeks, meaning Paul is the lone figure at the helm of the Clippers’ offense. L.A. have switched to a small-ball approach to space the floor, although they really have no other choice with such little depth in their frontcourt after trading Josh Smith back to the Rockets.
As the best floor general in the game, though, this has been no worry for CP3. He dictates the pace of the offense so effectively, and without Griffin he has free reign to pull-up with his deadly mid-range jumper and look for his own shot even more.
With 20.5 points, 10.1 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game since Blake went down (with 46 percent shooting and a 40 percent three-point stroke, too), it’s clear just how easily he can take over. More importantly, the Clippers are 16-4 in this span.
After shooting 0-7 in the first quarter against the Miami Heat on Sunday night, he composed himself late in the game and buried two huge three-pointers to help seal the deal in a 100-93 win. Given the relatively easy nature of the Clippers’ schedule recently, this was another impressive result to have without Blake.
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