Celtics Catching up on the Cavs

Are the Boston Celtics closer to overtaking the Cleveland Cavaliers than we think?

In the playoffs, back in May, the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Boston Celtics to go to their third straight NBA finals. It really was not much of a fight, Celtics got beat up and outscored by 44 points in game 2, even though Celtics did manage to take a game off a game winning shot by former Celtic Avery Bradley, we really didn't stand much of a chance, but that is all about to change and here's why:

1. Gordon Hayward

Well, this is obvious. Gordon Hayward's decision to join the Celtics is huge. Isaiah Thomas is a elite scorer, leading the Celtics with a 23.3 points per game average in the playoffs, but many Celtics fans should notice Thomas struggle a bit in some games, with the defense heavily focusing on Thomas, other Celtics members would fail to step up. The reason why is because before Hayward, Thomas was the only player that could create his own shot, other starters such as Avery Bradley or Jae Crowder last year, mostly relied on ball movement created by coach Stevens to score. Once Thomas got stopped, it was very tough for the Celtics to score consistently. With the arrival of Gordon Hayward and his 24.1 points per game in the playoffs, this opens up the game for Thomas, forcing defenders to take some attention off Thomas and onto Hayward, which should create much better offensive efficiency. Plus, Hayward is an above average defender, which can only help the Celtics.

2. Jaylen Brown

Many are worried about the departure of Avery Bradley, he is a lockdown defender that can slow down Kyrie Irving the deadly scorer for the Cavs. Now that Bradley is gone, it is time for Jaylen Brown to step up, I truly believe Brown is ready for a breakout year next season, he is slowly becoming a leader on and off the court, and has the talent to become a two way star. Brown was a bright spot of the Celtics last season, receiving a spot on the All-rookie second team. Brown is super athletic and is capable of knocking down open jumpers from deep, which draws comparisons to Jimmy Butler. During summer league a few weeks back, Brown was told to crash boards and run the fast break, which means Celtics think Brown is capable of becoming a playmaker. Additionally Brown was asked to defend point guards, which shows that the Celtics will definitely be assigning a bigger role for Jaylen Brown next season. He is not a lockdown defender like Bradley is, but Brown is a good defender with quick hands, and improving offensively.

3. Improved Frontcourt

Bradley's departure had one positive affect for the Boston Celtics, they were allowed to acquire Marcus Morris and sign Arron Baynes. Though this may not mean much, Marcus Morris is statistically the best defender against Lebron in the last few years, allowed James to just over 20 points per game. Morris has always been a good defender and Morris is athletic enough to play the 3 and has the size to play 4. this means he could possibly be matched up defensively against Kevin Love, as interior defense was a big problem for the Celtics last season. Last year Kelly Olynyk had the highest rebounding rate for the Celtics, Morris a very average rebounder already has a higher rebounding rate, so that means Celtics can only improve in that area. Arron Baynes doesn't bring much offensively, but his defensive presence will be something very useful for the Celtics. As Celtics fans might notice, average centers like Lopez and Gortat had some great games against the Celtics in the playoffs, due to a lack of size that Baynes now brings. Cavs also front court out rebounded Celtics by a huge amount thanks to Kevin Love and Tristian Thompson, Celtics now have a big body to bang down low and deny opposing players of getting offensive rebounds, which proved to be a major problem throughout the whole NBA season and playoffs last year.

4. Trouble in Cleveland

What is going on in Cleveland? Kyrie Irving wants out, and it is rumored the relationship in the locker rooms is not great. Cavaliers have had a quiet offseason so far acquiring Jeff Green, Jose Calderon, Osman, and picking up Derrick Rose, who everyone knows is a injury prone and quite unfortunately will never be the MVP player he was years ago. There are so many question marks for the Cavaliers, now we wait on what Cavs will receive for Irving, as according to reports he is as good as gone. But overall, the Cavaliers are a mess right now and Lebron James and most of the roster are on the wrong side of 30.

As of right now, the Cleveland Cavaliers are still better than the Boston Celtics, but the gap is closing, and there is no reason believe Celtics do not stand a chance against the Cavaliers. Boston Celtics have a higher ceiling with young players like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier, Semi Ojeleye, Ante Zizic and Guerschon Yabusele, it is up the Celtics to see if they can achieve their maximum potential and maybe dethrone Lebron James and take over as kings of the east.

Cleveland Cavalier vs Boston Celtics. NBA.com, NBA Media Ventures, 5 Mar. 2016, www.nba.com/cavaliers/photogallery/boscle-160305. Accessed 7 Aug.

2017.