The Boston Celtics were not expected to be good this season. After losing Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet last offseason, plus Jayson Tatum to an Achilles injury, it looked like they would struggle to make the playoffs.
But despite losing all that talent, the Celtics have remained one of the best teams in basketball. They’re now 29-17 after beating the Portland Trail Blazers 102-94 at TD Garden on Monday, good for second place in the Eastern Conference behind only the Detroit Pistons.
Holiday, who was traded to the Trail Blazers last summer after two seasons with Boston, isn’t surprised by his former team’s success.
“Not that surprised. I knew that they’d do well. Knowing the type of determination that this coaching staff and organization has…I figured that they would be good,” Holiday told reporters prior to Monday’s game at TD Garden. “And then obviously, knowing Jaylen, I feel like he takes a lot of things personally. He doesn’t accept a lot, especially when it comes to being bad.”
Holiday’s right on several fronts.
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For starters, the Celtics still have top-notch leadership with Brad Stevens at GM and Joe Mazzulla at head coach. Stevens made some great additions last summer in Anfernee Simons, Luka Garza and Hugo Gonzalez, while Mazzulla has kept the team operating at a high level on the court.
Holiday also credited Jaylen Brown,who’s picked up the slack and is playing the best basketball of his career this season. He’s having an MVP-caliber year, proving he’s capable of carrying and leading a team on his own.
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Brown’s had plenty of help from Boston’s bench and role players, of course, but they wouldn’t be the second seed without him. With Tatum expected back soon, the Celtics are poised to keep rolling and keep smashing expectations over the next few months.
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