NBA 2015-16 season: Grading every team’s performance
By Tom West
Boston Celtics (A)
What more could the Celtics have done this regular season? For a team with no superstars, coming off a 7th seed finish in the East that dealt them a first round playoff exit thanks to a Cavaliers sweep, the Celtics had promise, but not to this extent. Especially after Danny Ainge let the NBA trade deadline go past without making a single blockbuster move, questions arose as to what laid in store for the Celtics and why he didn’t act.
Well, now he, the Celtics, their fans, and anyone who realized that was the right move are laughing. He’s kept his plethora of talented role players and treasure chest of draft picks in tact with a great situation to try to lure in some star free agents this summer.
Plus, to back up Ainge’s decision and emphasize this team’s talent, their performance with no All-Star level talent besides Isaiah Thomas has been remarkable.
Brad Stevens has already earned recognition as one of the top coaches in the NBA, thanks to the way he has a group of underdogs destroying so many expectations while establishing the perfect culture to build a team with. Everyone plays hard, everyone plays for one another, everyone moves the ball, and everyone hustles and plays energetic defense.
As a result, the Celtics ranked 6th in assists per game and created one of the best perimeter defenses in the league with the likes of Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder and Marcus Smart leading the way. And at the other end of the floor, Thomas’ driving ability and shot creation outside sparks the offense while spreading the ball and constant movement opens up opportunities for others.
We’ll have to wait and see how the Celtics fare in the playoffs, but in a first round matchup against the Hawks, there’s no reason they don’t have the ability to advance to the Eastern Conference Semi Finals at least. With their scrappy, nothing-to-lose mindset, they can give anyone in the conference a challenge.
After all, they didn’t become the first team since January of 2015 to beat the Warriors in Oracle Arena for no good reason.
Next: Atlanta Hawks