The Boston Celtics have been playing so well that even Nick Wright can’t help but tip his cap.
Wright, who’s no stranger to throwing shade at the C’s, praised Boston during Monday’s episode of “First Things First” on FS1, even acknowledging he was wrong about writing off Ime Udoka’s squad earlier this season.
That said, Wright still believes the Celtics face a “problem” in the Eastern Conference, where they entered Monday atop the standings after another lopsided win Sunday over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
That problem? The defending NBA champions.
“The month of March, (Jayson) Tatum has been a super-duper star,” Wright said. “He’s been 34 points per game on 54% shooting, 47% from 3 and 90% from the line. This month, he’s jumped his efficiencies across the board 10 points. So, he’s been great. The team’s been excellent. The young coach who halfway through the year you were like, ‘Oh, boy, did they hire the wrong guy?’ Nope, he looks awesome.
“They have a problem, though, and it is the same problem your beloved Nets or my beloved Sixers or anyone else has: The Bucks this year are a juggernaut and no one seems to recognize it. The Bucks are not going to face a Game 7 in the East. I don’t think they’re going to face a Game 6 in the entire Eastern Conference playoffs. I think the West is as wide open as you can get. I think the East is the opposite of wide open. I think the East is similar to the East when LeBron (James) was in Miami or Michael (Jordan) was in Chicago. The East, not only is it going to go through one place. But you’re not going to see a lot of, ‘Ooh, could this series be good?’ No, Milwaukee’s going to dispose of everybody in four or five (games). I give the Celtics massive credit. But I give them very little chance of coming out of the East. But that takes away nothing from what they’ve done.”
It’s worth noting that Wright shared his opinion before it was announced that Robert Williams III suffered a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee, an injury that could sideline the Celtics center for several weeks and significantly impact Boston’s chances of making a deep playoff run. Perhaps that development will dampen any further enthusiasm Wright is capable of mustering up for the C’s.
But Wright’s outlook on Boston definitely has changed over the past few months, thanks in large to Jayson Tatum’s performance. And it’s fair to say he’s not alone in changing his tune.
“I think they’re a good team. A far better team than I gave them credit for,” Wright said Monday. “I did not see that they were going to play — basically this is half a season at a mid-60-win pace. That’s unbelievable.
” … One of the reasons, because I had been saying before they skyrocketed up the standings, that they would lose in Round 1, and what was my big reason? It was because, well, they’re not going to have the best player on the court. And sometimes, it’s as simple as that. I don’t know if Jayson Tatum can keep this up. But if Jayson Tatum plays 90% as well in the playoffs as he has played in March, then they’ll have the best player on the court against anyone other than Milwaukee and Brooklyn and maybe Philly, but Philly’s a different question mark.
“Tatum is playing like a superstar. Is he a superstar yet? Not in my eyes. Is he a top-10 guy? Not consensus, not in my eyes. But he has played like one for the last six weeks. And I’ve got to give him credit. He has been phenomenal. So, maybe he’s taking the leap. Maybe it’s a hot streak. If he’s taking the leap, then Boston becomes a totally different animal in the postseason.”
To recap: the Celtics haven’t made a total believer out of Wright. But it’s impossible to discredit Boston’s recent run, and even Wright — the ultimate Celtics skeptic — is willing to admit such.
