The Celtics’ mid-season resurrection has officially paid off in terms of results, earning them the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed heading into the NBA playoffs.
Even with a potential slew of tough opponents on the horizon, including the Brooklyn Nets (if they win the play-in), Milwaukee Bucks, and Philadelphia 76ers, the Celtics have the distinction of being arguably the best team in basketball during the second half of the season.
Obviously, stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown deserve major amounts of credit for the team’s turnaround. But praise for Boston’s re-dedication to smothering defense and ball movement belongs to first-year head coach Ime Udoka, who should get Coach of the Year accolades for his inaugural season of work.