Before this lockout-shortened season began, the Celtics were expected to be one of the top four teams in the Eastern Conference. After 20 of 66 games, Boston is 10-10 and would be the No. 7 seed if the playoffs started today. That's not what anyone was expecting. A 10-10 record is barely cutting it in the East and wouldn't cut it in the West (the eighth-place team in the East, Houston, has a 12-9 record).
Let's take a look at the good, the bad and whether Boston's prospects will improve:
The Good
- Bass off the bench - The Celtics brought in Brandon Bass to give them a spark off the bench, and he may be giving them even more than they imagined. In just over 29 minutes per game (the most of his career), he's getting 14.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per 36 minutes.
Bass is producing inside and outside. According to Hoopdata, Bass is the third-ranked power forward in the league when it comes to field goal percentage at the rim (49 percent) and second behind the Spurs' Matt Bonner when shooting from 16 to 23 feet from the basket.
Not to mention the Celtics are only paying about $4 million for him this season.
- A better look at Avery Bradley - The Rondo injury has forced the Celtics to play both Bradley and E'Twaun Moore. Bradley has already played more than twice the minutes than he played all of last season. Though his offense needs a lot of work (3.8 ppg, 38 percent from the field), he can score at the rim (64 percent) and he's fit in with Boston defensively. Bradley's defense against Jameer Nelson set the tone in last Monday's drubbing of Orlando.
The Bad
- Oh, the injuries - Any evaluation of the Celtics thus far has to take injuries into account. Only Kevin Garnett and Bass have played in all 20 games this season, and Rajon Rondo has missed the last seven games with a wrist injury. Whatever fans thought of Jeff Green last season, not having him at all this season has hurt Boston. Neither Chris Wilcox nor Keyon Dooling have been nearly as available as the Celtics hoped going into the season. Not good for a team that had depth as a major issue going into the season.
- Inconsistent play - Throughout this season, the Celtics haven't played with the kind of veteran focus fans are accustomed to seeing out of them. Nowhere was that more apparent as it was in the recent home-and-home with Cleveland. Boston gave up an 11-point lead in the final four minutes against the Cavaliers on Sunday and nearly let a 22-point advantage slip away Tuesday night in Cleveland. The Celtics are also 3-6 against teams with winning records so far this season.
What's next?
The Celtics are 4.5 games behind the surprising 76ers for first place in the Atlantic Division, and they may be able to gain some ground in their next few games. They could win at least four of their next six games (Toronto, New York, Memphis, Charlotte, LA Lakers and at Toronto), especially if Rondo returns to the lineup as coach Doc Rivers hinted at on Tuesday.
There are a lot of games left in the season, and the Celtics have veteran players who know how to win. A worthwhile goal at this team is to get back into the Eastern Conference's top four and earn a home playoff series. Boston will have to play with more consistency if it's going to live up to expectations.
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