For the first time in 41 days, the Boston Celtics are above the .500 mark after beating the New Orleans Pelicans 104-92 on Monday afternoon.
The victory was a rollercoaster ride, just like much of the Celtics season so far, with Boston falling behind by as many as 18 points in the first half before a dramatic second half turnaround fueled by Jayson Tatum and Dennis Schroder.
It’s too early to know at this point if the Celtics’ season will follow a similar script but the seeds of a turnaround have been quietly planted in the past two weeks after a horrific loss to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Since then? Boston has won five of their last six games and seven of their last ten overall.
The competition has been far from imposing, with victories over the likes of the Pelicans, Pacers and a shorthanded Bulls squad in that stretch. However, that softer schedule will be a standard of what the Celtics have waiting for them in the second half of the season, the sixth easiest in the NBA.
After scoring a game-high 27 points in Boston’s win, 21 of which came in the second half, Tatum was feeling optimistic about what lies ahead for Boston as they attempt to pull themselves back into the thick of the East playoff race.
“We’ve been playing pretty good as of late,” Tatum said. “Been hoping soon that we can get everybody back and just continue to build off this. Like you said, there’s 37 games left. That’s enough time to make up some ground.”
A closer look at the East playoff picture backs up Tatum’s positive mentality. The Celtics pulled into a tie for ninth place with Monday’s win but they are just four games behind a top-four seed. The gap between the top seed Bulls is only 5.5 games. Boston could easily fall out of the playoff picture with another extended slump but the road back to relevancy is there if they continue this play, something Ime Udoka sees happening as guys get more comfortable in his system.
“We see packages that we like for guys,” Udoka said. “Specific guys in specific areas and get the shots we want, as opposed to a little more free-flowing, equal opportunity earlier in the year. So we like the playbook and the plays we can go to and the multiple options out of those and for the most part we can pick on the matchup and get the decent shot we want. So I think that’s improved throughout the year and as we’ve seen things and tweaked things that’s helped us offensively down the stretch.”
There’s also plenty of room for growth with Boston’s stars, particularly in Tatum’s play as his efficiency has been incredibly subpar compared to his season averages. There are flashes of improvement though, as seen with his aggressive play in the second half against the Pelicans when he scored 21 points after intermission, most of which came in the paint.
“He’s great when he attacks the basket,” Dennis Schroder explained. “Of course he’s a guy who makes difficult shots as well, but when he attacks the basket like he did today, he’s really really hard to guard. Opens everything up for everybody else. JT and JB have to do that a little bit more.”
With Marcus Smart and Robert Williams expected back in the lineup later this week and Brad Stevens looking to upgrade the second unit, there is a plausible path towards the East playoff pack. A soft January schedule will signal whether the beginning of this turnaround can sustain into something bigger.
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January 18, 2022 at 07:25AM
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Jayson Tatum optimistic about Celtics turning season around: ‘There’s enough time to make up some ground’ - MassLive.com
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