5 Ways The Celtics Can Actually Benefit From The NBA's Hiatus
In times like these it's always important to try and trick your mind into seeing the positives in what is an extremely shitty situation. The 2019-20 Celtics season has been pretty much everything we hoped it would be from a record standpoint, chemistry standpoint, talent standpoint etc. To have it ripped away from us right as things were starting to get close to crunch time was a big time kick in the dick, but I'm here to tell you why this may actually be a good thing. As we know teams have been instructed to pretty much self quarantine until at least March 16th and maybe longer, nobody really knows. We know things are on pause for at least 30 days and honestly it'll probably be longer. This is what I've been spending all day telling my brain so together we can turn this negative into a positive and find a way to stay sane through this dark period. Hopefully it does the same for you.
1. Gordon Hayward is going to game his face off
This might be the most important development of this entire ordeal and I'm not even remotely joking. As we know, there are few things in this world Gordon loves more than gaming
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We have also seen that he is at his best when he is left alone and can just fire up his computer and game until his eyes bleed. How do I know that? Well as soon as he gets away from his family who 100000% nags him about it, he turns into a different player. As always, I have evidence to support my claim
Gordon Hayward at home when his wife won't let him play (22 games): 16.5/6.3/4.1 on 46% shooting
Gordon Hayward on the road when he's allowed to play all the video games he wants (23 games): 18.1/6.7/4.1 on 53% shooting
It's pretty obvious his mind is clear when he gets to game and there is a direct impact on his basketball production, something the Celts are going to need to rely on in the postseason. If you're telling me that he has to be my himself in a room and his family can't get in the way well then watch the fuck out. We may see a version of Hayward we are yet to experience this season and all signs point it to being 10x the player he was in Utah.
2. Health....maybe
OK so this one isn't exactly a lock but it's worth mentioning. While other teams in the league can use this opportunity to get their main guys healthy for the stretch run, the Celts haven't always been so lucky. Remember when the entire team got injured over the All Star break or whatever? What are the chances that happens twice in the same season. Probably low. If you're telling me I have to sacrifice the stress of watching this team poop their pants trying to inbound the ball with a 1 point lead with under 10 seconds left and it guarantees me that Kemba's knee, Jaylen's hamstring, Timelord's hip, Hayward's everything, will all get back to 100% then I am willing to make that sacrifice.
We have no idea what this team looks like healthy because they refuse to ever be healthy, but if this break can increase their chances of a full strength squad for the playoff then we all have to convince ourselves this is for the best.
3. Brad now has plenty of time to learn what a timeout is
Lol yeah right. Even I couldn't convince myself of this one or stop myself from laughing as I typed it. Oh well.
4. They can't blow another 15+ point lead
I think we all needed a break from this shit, the players included. When it happens in something crazy like 5 of their last 6 games or whatever it can weigh on you. Hell I know I'm 34% more likely to get coronavirus because I am so run down from not sleeping because all I see when I close my eyes is this team blowing massive leads. They clearly have not found a way to prevent this while actually playing, so I am all for taking it completely out of their hands. Can't blow leads that make everyone start to doubt this team is good if you don't have games now can you. Suddenly you come back from a month and you don't even remember the fact that you are allergic to 15+ point leads.
5. Timelord has enough time to travel to the future and bring back valuable information
Quick question, how many other NBA teams have someone who can time travel? Zero, that's how many. Who's to say Ainge hasn't already given Timelord his mission and as we speak he's already in the future scouting their potential playoff opponent? Teams usually save stuff for the playoffs right? They don't like to show their hand and put things on tape that an opponent can prepare for once the games truly matter. Well what a perfect reason to use their secret weapon, see what every other East contender are doing in the postseason so once we actually get there the Celts are already 5 steps ahead. Oh you want to trap Tatum/Kemba a certain way or unleash some sort of new zone defense because the Celts sneaky stink at shooting? Boom now Brad has a plan in place. Oh the Sixers are going to do what in an effort to mask the fact that Ben Simmons is a playoff liability? Whoops! Sorry you're going to have to think of another way to mask his inability to shoot.
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This cannot be understated. Us humans have no idea how long it takes Robert to do what he does in terms of time travel, but with at least 30 days off that has to be more than enough time.
See, look at you. You're already not as sad about this hiatus. Chances are if you've made it this far in the blog you've already done the mental gymnastics required to convince yourself that these are all possible. Now this gigantic negative looks like the best possible thing to happen to this team. You're welcome.