Adversity is no issue for this Celtics team

This Boston Celtics team has met its fair share of obstacles so far this season. Once they get over one hurdle, another appears. It's like One-Eyed Willie was hired to rig the first few months of the season with booby traps. First Gordon Hayward ruined his leg, then Marcus Smart twisted both of his ankles at once, followed by Al Horford's broken brain, and Kyrie Irving's disfigured face. More recently, Jaylen Brown experienced tragedy with the death of his friend. After every corner, there's another trap waiting!



Every game, at least one player is missing floor-time for one reason or another. Sometimes it has to do with the misfortunes mentioned above, but more often than not, it's just because of the lack of experience that can be found on this roster. I mean, of the 16 players who are under contract, seven of them are rookies, eleven of them have played less than four seasons in the NBA, and three-fourths of them haven't yet reached their 26th birthdays. There are a ton of guys who just aren't needed on a night-to-night basis, and because of this, only three Celtics' players have seen floor-time in every game this season.

It may be because of the consistent absence of some of the team's best players, but the Cs seem to enter every third-quarter down a few points. They begin every second-half needing to go uphill, and somehow, they usually come out on top. They give their opponents a head-start, and then come from behind. At this point in the season, it's become a motif for these Celtics. It's something that we're used to seeing; something that we can expect. The majority of that sixteen game winning streak were victories that were won after being down late in games, and we even came back from a few double-digit deficits. 
Then just the other night against the Indiana Pacers, we saw this team fight through a swarm of hardship. They were without Jaylen Brown and Marcus Morris, who are combining for 28.5 points and 12 rebounds per game, and it was their fifth straight game in a different town. Over the week prior, the team had traveled to nearly every corner this side of the Continental Divide, beginning in Atlanta and finishing in Indiana. Jet-lag and middle seats like you read about. 
Guess what? I wouldn't have it any other way. This team is tough. This team has heart. And when June comes around, this team will be ready.



Now get the tissues ready! Avery Bradley returns to Boston in less than an hour. Oh, how I miss him! Go Cs! 

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Photo: TNT




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