The Celtics' Woes Continue: Can the Celtics Recover?

Kyrie Irving will seek a second opinion for knee pain as Boston goes on a road trip

If you already miss seeing Kyrie Irving in action, it appears that you and the Boston Celtics will have to wait a little longer as #11 will skip the Celtics' upcoming road trip.

According to Head Coach Brad Stevens, Kyrie Irving will seek second opinion for the nagging pain in his knee which he has been dealing with throughout the entire month. Irving, the Celtics' leading scorer and passer this season, has missed his 4th straight game and with a 4-game road trip on the way, the Celtics will need to make the most out of this trip considering the fact that they have lost three of their last 4 games. Although Boston is already assured of a playoff berth, they need to finish in the top 4 for them to have a higher chance of having a deeper run into the postseason.

Question: Can the undermanned Celtics regroup in time for the playoffs?

For one, the Celtics used to be the top team in the Eastern Conference before being caught by the Toronto Raptors. Boston has a 47-23 record and is down 5 and a half games behind the Raptors. In fact, after playing against the Thunder, Boston still have 11 games ahead of them and yes, they will face the Raptors, two more times.

In terms of regrouping themselves in time for the playoffs, 11 games is a good time to do so because the final stretch of the regular season will determine their playoff position. With or without Kyrie Irving in the line-up, Boston needs to regain that consistency that made them so good during the early months of the season.

However, with Kyrie Irving still out, and with Marcus Smart missing the final 11 games as he is set to undergo a surgery for his thumb injury, the Celtics will have to rely on each other more in this time of difficulty.

Conclusion

Making the playoffs is one thing. Making a deep run into the playoffs is another thing. Regardless of how good the Celtics were during the first few months of the current season, they're still a young and inexperienced team. Sure, Kyrie Irving has been to the NBA Finals in the last 3 seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers and won a championship in 2016 but being the alpha dog, leading these Celtics, it's never going to be easy and one way or another, excessively carrying a team on your back will eventually catch up on your health.