The playoffs bring out something different in us. Suddenly, media and fans alike have takes they need to get on record — not because it’s right, necessarily, but because there’s a chance it might be. And if it is, well, you’ll be hearing about it for the next six months. The other 480 takes that didn’t quite land? Those quietly disappear into the void.
At CelticsBlog, we like to think we’re above that. Thoughtful. Measured. Responsible. But this time of year has a way of breaking even the strongest
wills. So we gave in.
Everyone loves a hot take. Let’s hear one for the Celtics.
Jeff Clark: My hot take is that Baylor Scheierman is going to win us a game. Payton Pritchard is going to win us a series. And Derrick White is going to get us to the Finals. Then it is on the Jays to take us home.
Bill Sy: Hot take, you say? The cold, boring answer is that defense wins championships. The surface-of-the-sun take is where that D comes from. As we’ve seen all year, Mazzulla is going to task all the young wings to do some heavy lifting on that side of the ball. Expect Jalen Brunson and Cade Cunningham to get heavy doses of Jordan Walsh and Hugo Gonzalez.
Rich Jensen: I don’t like hot takes. If you’d ever had the misfortune of waiting for me to decide where to eat, you’d know that I don’t make up my mind quickly. I don’t really have a hot take regarding the Celtics. But I might have a mild or medium take—one with no habaneros and only a few jalapenos. I think that the Celtics might break the tradition of tighter playoff rotations. I think that few championship caliber teams have been this deep—as evidenced by the team’s game 82 win, and I think Mazzulla might find a way to exploit that depth as the playoffs unfold.
Ian Inangelo: My hot take for the playoffs is that Nikola Vucevic has one game where he wins Boston a game with his impact off the bench like Kristaps Porzingis in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Mark Aboyoun: The Celtics don’t lose more than two games per series leading up to the Finals. Whether it’s Orlando or Philadelphia, New York or Detroit, the Celtics will win every series in six games or fewer.
Nirav Barman: Unfortunately, I’m superstitious, and I also know there are plenty of Green Teamers who see the team with shamrock tinted glasses, so I don’t have any particularly hot takes. I believe this team can hang with anyone in the league, including OKC and San Antonio. We won’t be the favorites in every matchup, but we shouldn’t be far from it, especially if Tatum and White find their strides.
Mike Dynon: This is the spiciest we can make it: Jayson Tatum will duplicate what Jaylen Brown did two years ago, winning Most Valuable Player of both the Eastern Conference Finals and the NBA Finals, and leading the Celtics to yet another banner.
Ryan Paice: Queta is going to emerge as the team’s most impactful role player, even ahead of White. Especially with the lack of defensive depth at center behind Queta, I think he’s going to put up some impressive +/- numbers over the course of the playoffs and prove to be a vital key to the team’s success. His defensive impact will be noticeable at all times, both when he’s on the court swatting shots and swallowing up offensive boards, and when he’s on the bench and we have to watch teams repeatedly target Vucevic and Garza.
White might still be the better overall player, but Queta is less replaceable on this current squad and will have a chance to show he’s a top-tier starting center in the league. I expect him to seize it.
Gio Rivera: Baylor Scheierman will make himself right at home this postseason.
That signature thumbs-up celebration will pop up often enough for the Causeway Street T-shirt vendors to get to work, rolling out a fresh design that floods North Station by the Eastern Conference Finals. Scheierman will rise to the occasion, shoot better than 45 percent from three throughout the playoffs, and even get Joe Mazzulla in on the thumbs-up celebration at some point (OK, maybe that last part is a stretch).
Grant Burfeind: Luka Garza is going to hit a huge corner three late in a tight playoff game, right in front of the opposing bench, and unleash an all-time mean mug. I can see it so clearly it’s basically a memory at this point. You’ll hear the screech of Garzilla before the ball even hits the net.
