The Boston Celtics sit comfortably in their second position in the Eastern Conference rankings.
The Boston Celtics 8-2 are 8-2 in the last 10 games, and it appears they’re finishing a season as strong as they began the season.
The reality champions boast the third best offense in the league, and their defensive ratings are the top five out of all NBA teams.
Despite not having Kristaps Porzingis for most of the season, the Celtics have been doing well to maintain a great record and become a favorite coming out of the East once again.
However, a worrying trend has been observed this season, which could raise concerns for the 18-time champions.
The team struggled in the fourth quarter as they scored in turnover points and sat in number one in 21st place.
Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce believe that the Celtics can solve this problem simply by making some adjustments.
The Celtics led the league with three pointers, earning 48.1 shots per game over the arc.
They make 36.9%, which is incredible given the three amounts they take, but Garnett and Pierce believe the Celtics have to tweak their plans from time to time to get over the line.
“You had to plan where you had to realize that if it wasn’t, then you wouldn’t. And we’d go and go to the cup. Let’s go back to playmaking,” Garnett said on the “Tickets and Truth” podcast.
Pierce also added points that the Celtics respected team said would have, as it would help the three-point shooting team score more points through layups.
“The way teams can defend and run and respect them should have more opportunities in the rim.
“The team is just trying to get the Celtics to run off the line, so that’s the opportunity to get more layups and front.
Garnett, who won the championship with the Celtics, explained what the Celtics need to come up with strategies to improve their fourth quarter disaster.
He said: “They lost some leads in the second half, so that’s what worries me. Where do you need to have something, how do you finish the game?”
The Celtics, led by Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum, who had a great season so far, dominated the way to last season’s championship.
They are not the first in the East, but are still favorites to go to the NBA Finals this season, and that’s because of the quality they have on the roster.
Jrue Holiday and Derrick White are one of the best guard duos in the league, but there are also Al Horford, a key cog on the Celtic steam team.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks are also teams that can compete with coming out of the east, but the continuity factor helps the Celtics get past the line.
They dominated the Mavericks in last year’s final, but this time they’re expected to take a more rigorous test, as there are several strong teams in the Western Conference.
However, the Celtics look formidable enough and if they play with their strengths in the playoffs, the team can raise their 19th banner.