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Back in October, before this NBA season began, did you perhaps open up a sports betting app on your phone and wager on how many wins the Boston Celtics would achieve? Did you say they would win at least 48? Maybe 50? More than 50?
If so, then the odds are good that you’re about to win some money. At the All-Star break, the Celtics rank fifth in the entire league at 35-19 – a winning percentage of .648 that equates to a 53-29 record over a full season. Barring any unfortunate developments, the Celtics should finish in a far better position than almost anyone expected.
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If you saw all that coming, you’re smarter than I am. Last season, I correctly predicted the Celtics would win 61 games, and I’ve been pretty close to the right number in most other recent years. This season, however, I dropped my expectation to 44 wins. That’s because the narratives appeared reasonable: With so much talent lost in the off-season, and with the replacements being primarily young and unproven, there seemed to be no way for Boston to avoid the “gap year” that many NBA observers were forecasting.
There’s no denying it. I was guilty of underestimating the Celtics.
My mistakes didn’t end there. I said Derrick White would make the All-Star team (he didn’t); Jayson Tatum’s absence would be so harmful (it’s been manageable) that his haters would apologize (they haven’t); and the Cs would be more effective if they’d speed up their offense (at 95.7, they’re dead last in pace for the second straight year, yet are second in offensive rating at 120.2).
The Celtics have defied expectations, with Jaylen Brown having his best season. (Photo by Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
There’s more. I was sure they’d be pounded on the glass (but in fact, they’re eighth in the league with 45.4 rebounds per game, and seventh in rebound percentage at 51.4%); they’d struggle on defense (nope, their current defensive rating is ninth-best at 112.6); and they’d be especially vulnerable inside (they actually have allowed just 40.9 paint points per game, second best in the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/mea-culpa-severely-underestimated-boston-103800279.html
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Publish date : 2026-02-18 10:38:00
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