NBA Playoffs 2020: 5 reasons the Boston Celtics can win it all

The Boston Celtics certainly have a chance to win it all in the 2020 NBA Playoffs.

The Boston Celtics were having a nice regular season before the current pandemic brought the NBA season to a screeching halt. With that being said, they weren’t going to enter the playoffs with a strong chance of taking home a league title.

The long layoff could benefit Boston heavily. The Cs may not have a proven, dominant superstar to rely on when things get tough, but the balance of their roster will make them a tough out for any team that comes up against them in a playoff series.

No one is going to want to come up against head coach Brad Stevens and his team when the playoffs roll around. Here are five reasons why the Celtics have a real shot to win it all.

5. The Celtics can go small

No one is going to confuse Boston’s small closing five with the “Lineup of Death” that the Golden State Warriors used to crush the NBA at the height of their dominance. That doesn’t mean this group can’t give competitors serious fits in this year’s playoffs.

Stevens could easily opt to close games with a lineup that consists of Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward and Daniel Theis. Everyone other than Theis in that lineup has the ability to put the ball on the floor and make plays against a variety of defenders. That makes it a nearly impossible grouping for teams to guard at all five positions.

Theis’ ability to protect the rim and move his feet at the 5 is crucial to the lineup’s effectiveness. He has to play well to make it work. In many ways, the German big could be Boston’s most important player come playoff time.