As the regular season drew to a close, there was more and more discussion about the playoffs. Especially in the highly competitive Eastern Division, which team can stand out and rush out of the East? It has become a topic of concern for many media and fans.
ESPN's well-known sports commentator Steven M. A. Smith recently gave his opinion on the show, in his view, the Celtics are the best team in the East, he praised Uduka's coaching ability, while praising the performance of Green Army forward twin stars Tatum and Brown.
"Uduka, his performance is unbelievable, words can no longer praise. He's a veritable candidate for the best coach, a team that you look at their defenses, like piranhas, changing positions at will. They shot better than the opponent in all five positions on the offensive end. Smith said.
"Tatum and Brown have clearly improved their level of play and I would like to see their performances become more stable. They didn't perform as well in the first half of the season, but they've been completely different in the last 30 or so games. As we all know, going into the playoffs, the defensive intensity is greatly improved, the pace of the game will be slower, you have enough time to lay out the defense, their performance on the defensive end will improve further, no one wants them to do that, their defense will be better. Smith continued.
Smith's bullish greenshirts are not without reason, under the careful tuning of Uduka, the Celtics' performance in the second half is incredible, winning 21 of their last 25 games and currently ranking fourth in the East with 45 wins and 2 losses, but only 2.5 wins away from the First Heat in the East, with 9 games left in the regular season, they still have a chance to improve their rankings.
However, the competitive situation in the East this season is very complicated, and it is still difficult for the Greenshirts to reach the finals. The Heat and Bucks have better lineup depth, with the 76ers having hardened and Embiid two superstars, plus they face a super battleship if Irving is vaccinated and Simmons returns from injury.