Here lies “Celtics Insurance,” the emotional hedging tactic that I relied on for the past few seasons to protect myself from blown leads by the Cs. Just about any time they’d put together a sizable lead, I’d open up my Rhode Island Sportsbook betting app (they have a monopoly here, I can’t use DraftKings) and throw five dollars on the opposing team’s moneyline.
Now, the strategy is borderline useless. With the exception of the Dean Wade-led Cleveland Cavaliers, it doesn’t seem like teams are able to dig themselves out of holes when they’re playing Boston anymore.
Below I’ve compiled NBA.com’s “lead tracker” for each of the last eight Celtics games, excluding their loss to the Denver Nuggets. I left that one out because they never quite took control of that matchup and spent most of the night playing from behind.
Boston has made a habit out of bending without breaking as of late. Even in the loss to Cleveland, the Cs were able to fend off a third-quarter run from the Cavs. As soon as Cleveland got close, Boston took control of the game back and built their lead back up to 22 points.
It was an awful loss, make no mistake. But, it took one of the most unbelievable “guy in the zone” moments in recent history paired with a stone-cold Cs offense for the comeback to happen. Even with all of that taking place, the talking point that came from that loss wasn’t about the collapse, but rather about Jayson Tatum’s shot selection with a chance to win the game.
Aside from that, the Celtics have shown a tremendous amount of focus as of late. Any time their opponents have looked primed to take control of the momentum, Boston has buckled down and gotten baskets, stops, or both.
Sure, you could easily say, “well, they shouldn’t even let it get to that point.”
Unfortunately, that just isn’t all that realistic. Basketball is a game of runs, especially at the professional level. It’s not college, where teams are just simply outmatched at times. NBA players are in the league for a reason and are capable of making an impact at any time — shoutout to Dean Wade and Caleb Martin.
Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images
The important thing here is the growth that the Celtics have shown over the past year. Last season, the Cs seemed primed for another run back to the NBA Finals, yet came up short. They coughed up a pair of second-half 12-point leads in Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat. Had they held on to even ONE of those two leads, they probably would’ve found themselves back in the Finals.
Instead, they went home earlier than anyone thought that they would and the roster underwent a major makeover last summer.
Oddly enough, the warning signs were there. At about this time last year, Boston lost three straight games and blew a big lead in all of them.
On March 3, they coughed up a 28-point advantage against the Brooklyn Nets. Two days later they let a 14-point third-quarter lead slip away against the New York Knicks. Then, in the “Imma make ‘em both” game, they fumbled a 15-point edge against Cleveland.
This year, the Celtics haven’t even lost three consecutive games, never mind putting together three straight collapses. I mean, it’s even surprising if they play poorly for more than one quarter.
It helps that the roster is much improved. Boston now has several offensive options that they can rely on, rather than just Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, and a much-improved Derrick White have all had their moments in crunch time this year.
The sheer difference in composure, focus, and talent should have fans feeling good about the “Clap Back Celtics” heading into the playoffs in just over a month.
