NBA Notebook: Playoff push or pushover? Who are you going to be, Celtics?

This is when the Boston Celtics should be making their final push towards the playoffs.

But rather than a push, the Celtics are looking more like pushovers as they try to avoid – yes, avoid! – being in the play-in tournament.

This Celtics team talks about getting it together for a strong finish, only to get finished off by bad teams (Oklahoma City and Chicago, I’m talking about you).

And the reasons are, unlike their win total, plentiful.

Their over-reliance on success through shot-making limits their ability to grind out wins because their play doesn't lend itself to that kind of victory.

The bench gets a lot of flack for its lack of production. But that really shouldn’t be a surprise when you consider that most of the team’s top reserves are middle-to-late first-round picks who are still on their rookie contracts deals. And the veterans with proven track records have been, like the team, inconsistent and because of that, unreliable.

And the team's defense, once a hallmark of Brad Stevens-coached teams, has been at their best, mediocre in comparison to the rest of the NBA. And that says a lot during a season when damn near every team in the league has been below-average defensively. The Los Angeles Lakers have the league's top defensive rating (106.7). That same defensive rating last season would have put them as the league's fifth-best defense.

So what does it all mean?



The way the Celtics are playing, they're giving their fans very little hope they can do anything other than show up for the postseason, and soon do what you and I will be doing and that's watching the playoffs.

While Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have elevated their play, the same can not be said for those around them.

And Stevens, one of the best at getting the most out of the talent he has been given to work with, simply hasn’t done as good a job in this area as he has in past years.

We can’t forget about Danny Ainge who put this team together. When the team wins, he should get a good chunk of the credit. And when they collectively play like a hot mess for most of the season which has been the case this year, yes, he should get a large share of the blame for that as well.

Of course, the Celtics could shock us all and make a little noise in the playoffs.

Yes, anything is possible.

But the idea of the Celtics flipping a switch from regular season pushover to a team that pushes ahead successfully in the playoffs is highly unlikely and frankly, off-script from the underachieving narrative of this team, this season.

NESMITH MINUTES ON THE DECLINE?

When it comes to Celtics players on the rise, few have seen their stock soar like Aaron Nesmith recently. The first-round pick out of Vanderbilt had a stretch of four straight games in which he played 20 or more minutes while averaging 13 points per game, by far the best stretch of basketball he has played this season. But Friday’s loss to Chicago saw Nesmith’s minutes drop to the low teens (13). Nesmith’s greatest strength at this point is the energy and activity he brings to the floor whenever he gets an opportunity to play. For him to play so sparingly on a night when the team’s overall energy level was poor, was unexpected. With five games remaining, Nesmith’s playing time is worth monitoring.

ROB WILLIAMS CONCERNS

The Celtics have consistently been overly cautious when it comes to Robert Williams’ health. But there’s growing concern that his latest health ailment may potentially impact his availability for the playoffs. Williams is currently out with a turf toe injury, with no clear timetable for his return. The injury itself isn’t deemed too serious. However, Stevens indicated on Friday that Williams will be meeting with specialists to determine the best course of action to take going forward.

Getting another opinion is always a good thing, but it does raise some concerns that his injury might be more serious and that it could impact his postseason availability.

With the postseason right around the corner, the idea of Williams not being available or limited does not bode well for the Celtics and their chances of advancing.

KEMBA KILLIN’ IT

Kemba Walker has been on a load management program all season for the Celtics. The goal was for Walker, who turns 31 years old today, to be playing his best basketball on the cusp of the postseason.

It worked.

In his last two games, Walker has scored a total of 65 points which is his highest-scoring set of games this season. And he did so while shooting 52.5 percent (21-for-40) from the field and 12-for-22 (54.5 percent) from 3-point range.

Any shot that Boston has of making some noise in the postseason, Walker has to be an efficient, high-impact scorer.

PLAY-IN, PLAYOFFS HEATS UP

Boston has a pair of home games against the Miami Heat, a team that, like the Celtics, is trying to secure a top-six finish in the East and avoid the dreaded play-in tournament. The Celtics, having already defeated Miami in their lone matchup this season, need at least a split in order to win the head-to-head series but more importantly, have the tie-breaker. Boston (35-32) is currently seventh in the East, trailing Miami (36-31) by one game. Having a tie-breaker is huge this season in the East, with only two games separating teams No. 4-7.