2018-2019 NBA Previews – Celtics Odds
Looking for 2018 Boston Celtics Predictions? We’ve got your back. Boston finished last season 55-27, finishing second in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. And man, what a season it was. Despite losing Gordon Hayward in Game 1 of the year, not having Kyrie Irving for much of the year and being considered a year away from a year (in the eyes of many, at least), the C’s proved they’re not just the team of the future, they’re a legitimate contender right here, right now in 2018-19.
Boston Celtics Season Preview
Head Coach: Brad Stevens
2017-18 Record: 55-27
Celtics Odds to NBA Title: +500
Celtics Odds to Win Conference: -110
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Boston Celtics Strengths:
The Boston Celtics have the perfect blend of veteran leadership and young potential. Largely because their young potential plays like legitimate seasoned veterans.
Kyrie Irving is going to be the leader of the offense as long as he’s healthy, while Gordon Hayward could legitimately become the team’s top points-per-game leader. Al Horford remains one of the league’s most criminally underrated big man, as he quietly commands control of both the offense and the defense at both the rim and beyond the arc.
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But then, as alluded to, players like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum look like stars in their own rights despite entering their third and second seasons, respectively.
Last season, the Celtics were just 118th in terms of offensive efficiency (points per 100 possessions), but that should almost certainly improve to top-10 status if Hayward and Irving are both able to stay on the floor throughout the year.
Defensively, this team really put its mark on the league, giving up just 101.5 points per 100 possessions on the year.
That number was good enough for first place during 2018-19, and while that may take a bit of a dip with Irving back in the lineup, the system that Stevens has put in place is designed to help make up for subpar defenders at just about every turn.
Boston Celtics Weaknesses:
It really is difficult to come up with a noteworthy weakness for this group. There’s a reason, after all, the Celtics have been given via oddsmakers the best chance of winning the Eastern Conference and the second-best odds at winning a Larry O’Brien Trophy.
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All that said, no team is perfect. Boston has a “good problem” on its hands, but a problem nonetheless.
With crucial pieces like Hayward and Irving needing to be integrated back into the system, you have to wonder if chemistry is going to be an issue. More specifically, will anybody be disappointed by their roles this season?
Odds are, we hear multiple times throughout the year that guys like Morris, Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart are seeking more responsibilities. Rozier, specifically, is the one who broke out onto the scene (especially during the postseason) during Irving’s absence.
Like we said, this is a good problem to have…but it’s still a problem. Stevens is known as a young genius running the sidelines because of his X’s and O’s and the way he relates to his players.
The latter half of that equation will be the most important thing to monitor this season with an Eastern Conference title (and maybe more) on the line.
Boston Celtics Betting Prediction: 59-23
There are two teams out there that are going to compete with the Celtics for top honors out East. The Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors will be right there at the top in the East’s upper echelon, while a significant gap separates them and the Washington Wizards and Milwaukee Bucks of the world.
But this season, the East is Boston’s to lose.
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Given an over/under projection of 57.5, we’re taking the over. If you’re of the mindset that this group will reach 60 games or higher, you’re not out of this world wrong, just maybe a bit more ambitious than we are.
Fifty-nine wins is a full game over their projection, and it’s the right number to land on when looking at the good and the “good” problems that could come from this season.
2018 NBA Gambling
What do you think about our 2018 Boston Celtics predictions? Please leave us a comment below telling us how you think they’ll do in the 2018-2019 NBA Season!
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