The Boston Celtics’ gap will SHRINK as the playoffs come! – Richard Jefferson | NBA Today

The Boston Celtics’ gap will SHRINK as the playoffs come! – Richard Jefferson | NBA Today

Feels like the East this year it is still ba paced by the Boston Celtics they extended their season High winning streak to eight games they had a 14-point win over the Knicks Boston has the best record in the NBA and with their core uh their starting five of

Tatum Brown holiday white porzingis all start they’re actually winning better than 80% of their games they continue to pull away from the pack in the Eastern Conference and take a look at this right Boston has a five game cushion for the best overall record so considering they also of the fourth easiest schedule

Remember remaining in the NBA it’s going to be tough for any of these teams to make up any significant ground over their final 25 games the Celtics are most likely going to finish with the best record in the NBA and have homecourt advantage in the playoffs but

Perk is the gap between them and the rest of the teams we just showed that big hell no hell no in the Eastern Conference yes okay I get that right you have you’re looking at the Cals right a young team led by Donald Mitchell we don’t really trust them Evan Mobley has

Been up and down we have to see and wait to see what they’re going to do in the postseason when you look at the the Milwaukee books we know all the Tero that’s been happening around that organization and with that team but when it comes down to comparing the Celtics

To the Western Conference and I know these people out there in the world on the internet are going to say oh we was 13- six against the West well to be honest here’s my thing my last my last sighting when they played against the top Notch Western Conference teams like

The Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Clippers it was a Beatdown not the Nuggets but with the Clippers so do I think the Celtics are a great basketball team yes do I think they’re going to come out of the Eastern Conference yes do I think Jason Tatum is an

Unbelievable Superstar yes I believe all those things but what I can’t do is disrespect how hard the western conference is on the side of the Eastern Conference and so they’re going to have to have their battles right now I don’t even have them favored as to win it all

To be honest with you look I think the gap for the Celtics in the in the during the regular season I think it’s bigger right I think it’s big it’s hard to match up with the amount of talent the versatility that they have but I think that starts to shrink as the playoffs

Come yes they could have home court but we’ve also seen them lose a game seven on their home floor right we’ve seen some things from the Boston Celtics over over the last few years so when I look at this they are the best team I think adding Drew holiday adding a guy that

Has Championship experience you know and again they whole team has been half the team has been to the finals or had been on playoff runs so I just think the Celtics as the season goes on they’re going to win 60 games in my opinion they’re going to play great they’re

Going to get the number one seed but there are going to be things that they can need to improve on in my opinion that makes them a clear-cut favorite we just saw what the Denver Nuggets are doing like yic is a problem but I think porzingis pulling him away from the

Floor also being a shop Locker there are things that he offers that could really be a great matchup if they potentially were to go against Denver I I I think Boston’s really good obviously I put I’m going to put them in the finals I don’t know if they win and here’s the other

Part not be they have a great offense they have a great defense um the versatility I think the emergence of Derek white how he’s come on uh you got a real ball Hawker maybe the best on ball defender in Drew holiday so you’ve added these pieces and then porzingis a

Legit a a legit in-out guy right but at the end of the day I feel like and you go back to when eay was there right didn’t they lose like every home court game and won every away game or something crazy or it it was something different like that so I think the

Mentality the mental toughness needed to uh maintain and sustain greatness throughout the playoffs I want to see that I want to see that from them well and then let’s also compare the Denver Nuggets they have their consistent Core group right when you look at Philly they

Got a brand new coach Joel embiid’s out when you look at uh the Knicks they they’ve been banged up but we saw how well they were playing when they were hurt when you look at the Milwaukee Bucks they’re going through a transitional phase so they are now again

I know the Boston Celtics have had some coaching change over the last few years but they have their Core group and their Core group is all pushing in the same direction so that makes things easier for you not easy easier so when I look at that that’s why I think it shrinks

During the during the postseason because everybody’s like they’ve kind of figured out their crew they got their coach Nick nurse and Doc Rivers even the Clippers adding James Harden they’re going to be much better teams come April May June than they are currently right now

Kendrick Perkins, Richard Jefferson and Becky Hammon join Malika Andrews on NBA Today to discuss why they believe the gap between the Boston Celtics and the rest of the NBA isn’t encouraging despite boasting the best the record in the league.

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