Last season, the Boston Celtics almost made it to the finals after being defeated by the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games in the Eastern Conference finals. LeBron James single-handedly beat the Boston Celtics with Kevin Love out with an injury in Game 7. Boston made it all the way to the Eastern Conference finals without their two best players Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. 

They beat Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid's Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. Defense was the key in that series. Marcus Smart and Aaron Baynes played great defence which is the key to their success. We also have to give credit to the brilliant Coach Brad Stevens making great adjustments every game and every situation he's in. 

Imagine if this Boston team was healthy; what if Kyrie and Gordon played in their series against the Cavaliers? They could've defeated King James and had a chance to beat also the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. They had good bench players and an outstanding coach, I think that's enough to have a chance against the Warriors. 

Rookie Jayson Tatum lead Boston in the playoffs playing very good basketball consistently. He now earned a lot of experience in the playoffs and I am sure that he can use that experiences next season. This Celtics team is build for a championship and this up coming season can be the year they reach the NBA finals because they don't have to face LeBron James in the playoffs anymore. Jayson Tatum is already a star now but Gordon Hayward is back. The problem for Boston is how can they manage their lineup. 

Boston now has a decent line-up but have to figure out what rotations are best for the team. Boston's best players are Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum and Al Horford but it doesn't mean that Coach Brad Stevens should start these five right away because their best defensive players are Marcus Smart and Aaron Baynes. Their offense and defense should be balance. 

I would not be surprise if the Celtics start Aaron Baynes at the center position and Marcus Smart at the shooting guard. They can either bench Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum to lead their second unit. The Celtics only outscored opponents by .1 points per 100 possessions last season without Aaron Baynes and Marcus Smart on the floor. They are both not a good offensive player but just look at how much they contribute in defense. With Gordon Hayward back, Smart's minutes would surely decrease. It will be a hard task for Coach Brad Stevens and we just gonna wait next season what magic will he do in their lineup. 


Thank you for reading my article. I will try to write articles about the line up problems for other teams. So stay tuned. Thank you!