“Wait Till After All-Star Break”: Paul Pierce Isn’t Sounding the Alarm Bells for the Celtics Just Yet

The Boston Celtics ran through the NBA last year, winning 64 games on their way to a historic 18th NBA title. With the defending champions tag heading into the season, and a team that seemed nearly unbeatable, fans and analysts expected them to steamroll the league again. Things have been far from easy for them, however. We’re halfway through the season, and the Celtics have already lost 15 games. Former players Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce sat down to discuss the C’s form, and whether it’s time for the Lucky Greens to panic just yet.

Pierce, who won a Finals MVP with the Celtics in 2008, claimed they don’t need to worry at the moment. As a player who spent 19 years in the NBA, Pierce knows the importance of the All-Star break for teams to recoup some energy. He said he would wait till 2 weeks after the break to make a call on his former team. If their game still showed signs of weariness, then he’d officially be worried.

“Not yet, imma wait till after All-Star break and see what that look like. You know when you get that All-Star break in, and you looking different, that’s when you tell. Two weeks after All-Star you start seeing the mode.”

With only two players in the All-Star game this year, the Celtics have an entire weekend off to allow the rest of their stars to regain their energy and approach the end of the regular season with renewed vigor. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been perennial All-Stars for a few years now, and their game has had a noticeable upgrade after the festivities each time.

What remains to be seen is if the other starters can follow suit, especially given the Celtics’ health concerns this year.

Paul Pierce is worried about the Celtics’ health

Adding to his expectations after the All-Star break, Pierce did admit (albeit begrudgingly) that the Cavaliers would probably finish with the best record in the East. He added that he didn’t really care about the Celtics’ record as long as they entered the playoffs without any major injuries.

“Cleveland gon win the East, probably record-wise. Cs just wanna get to the playoff healthy. I mean New York is playing well. They one game behind the Cs! Cs could end up like 3rd seed!”

According to Garnett, a healthy Celtics roster would blow any team out of the water. He insisted on the importance of Kristaps Porzingis remaining healthy for this, as the team started last year’s playoff run with the Latvian big missing.

He’s missed significant time this season too, largely due to a sprained left ankle. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett both believe the Celtics can win the East again, but they agree on one thing—they would need to be fully healthy for that to happen.