The Boston Celtics have been playing some of their worst basketball of the 2023-24 season in recent games, but it doesn’t seem to be slowing them down all that much. In fact, they are still one of the best teams in the league roughly a quarter way through the season, even after a slop in the league’s new in-season tournament quarterfinals earlier this week.
The Celtics, even when not at their best, are still very, very good — and their overall record and a number of other indicators show that Boston is still a behemoth in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. So much so that Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey still has the Celtics atop his power rankings for this week.
“The Boston Celtics ended their week with an in-season tournament quarterfinal loss to an offensive juggernaut, but they still lead the NBA in net rating and are second in win percentage,” writes Bailey.
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“And they’re cruising along without having many sustained stretches at full strength,” he added.
“Jaylen Brown has missed a game. Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Al Horford have all missed more than one. Kristaps Porzingis has been absent for the last five because of a calf strain. Of course, that last one could simply be part of the bargain.”
“Porzingis has struggled to stay healthy for much of his career,” recounts the B/R analyst.
Porzingis drops 21 in return from injury, Celtics top Knicks 133-123 https://t.co/oG8sWAHzvp pic.twitter.com/5PeSqny4Xo
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 9, 2023
“If he’s unavailable for the Celtics’ biggest games down the stretch, as he wasn’t against the Indiana Pacers in the In-Season Tournament, their campaign could end sooner than they’d like,” writes Bailey.
“But when the five above are available—along with Jayson Tatum, of course—Boston looks like as safe a bet as any to be playing in May and June.”
'I’m playing the best basketball of my life.' says Boston's Jaylen Brown https://t.co/ZdwvAa8ic9 pic.twitter.com/QtihJDdB4l
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 8, 2023
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