For a good part of the 2021-22 National Basketball Association regular season, the Boston Celtics were struggling.
They won just two of their first seven games, and with more than half the season in the books, they had a mediocre 25-25 record and were in danger of missing the playoffs.
But after that, they took off.
Boston took 26 of its last 32 games and finished with a 51-31 record, which gave it the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.
It drew a tough matchup in the first round of the playoffs against Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and the uber-skilled Brooklyn Nets.
But the Celtics made mincemeat out of them, sweeping them in four games while holding Durant to an ice-cold 38.6 percent shooting percentage.
All of a sudden, the Celtics are looking hot, and they have to be the favorites to reach the NBA Finals right now.
The Cs Are Doing It With D
Winners of 17 world titles, the Celtics have historically won with defense, going all the way back to the Bill Russell era in the late 1950s and 1960s.
Now, as was the case in the days of yore, Boston possesses a suffocating defense that swarms opponents and seems to choke the life out of them.
It got the best of Durant, who hadn’t looked as mortal as he did versus the Celtics in a very long time.
In the regular season, they finished second in defensive rating and tops in points allowed despite their struggles in the first half of the year.
Big man Robert Williams is their anchor on D, and when he suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee in late March, it looked like their title hopes were in peril.
But he returned for Game 3 of the series against the Nets, and he will play a key role versus the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston’s opponent in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Robert Williams defense in one play: pic.twitter.com/E8CwicC9fa
— 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘯🩸 (@BrownOfJaylen) August 20, 2021
Williams is aided by veteran big man Al Horford, who is still a solid rim protector at age 35.
On the perimeter, the Celtics have point guard Marcus Smart, the newly-minted Defensive Player of the Year who averaged 1.7 steals a game in the regular season.
Marcus Smart has led the charge for our defense all season and now he's finally getting the league-wide recognition that he deserves. pic.twitter.com/FxEI9KVrdf
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 19, 2022
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the team’s two main stars, aren’t just outstanding and deadly offensive players, but they also hold their own on the other end of the court.
Tatum, in particular, is starting to become a standout on defense.
The Rest Of The West Is Hurting
The Celtics’ prospects look even better when one considers that a couple of the other teams in the East who are still in the playoffs aren’t at full strength.
The Bucks are without the services of Khris Middleton, who is reportedly expected to miss their entire series against the Celtics.
Middleton being out for the entire series would single-handedly tip the scales in favor of Boston.
The Philadelphia 76ers, meanwhile, have a hobbled Joel Embiid.
He has a torn ligament in his shooting thumb, and now his status for the Sixers’ matchup with the Miami Heat is in question due to an orbital fracture and a concussion.
The Miami Heat are relatively healthy, although Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry missed their last game versus the Atlanta Hawks, but many feel that they may not have the offensive firepower to deal with the Celtics.
This looks like a great opportunity for Boston to reach the championship series for the first time since 2010 and win its 18th NBA title.
NEXT: Nets Shooters Need To Avoid Jayson Tatum At All Costs