How Injuries Killed The Celtics… Kind Of

The injury bug didn't just bite the Celtics, it devoured them. The crazy thing is that somehow they've still managed to keep winning.If you were going to write a book about the 2017-2018 Boston Celtics, you'd title it "Injury." The first page was say, "Injuries." That also would be the only page, because that's pretty much the whole story.

We all remember Gordon Hayward's gruesome injury to start the season. Less than 5 minutes into the first game he was gone for the year. There have been a myriad of other injuries. As of 3 games ago here were the

Gordon Hayward - 77 missed games

Kyrie Irving - 18 missed games

Al Horford - 8 missed games

Jaylen Brown - 11 missed games

Marcus Smart - 24 missed games

Marcus Morris - 26 missed games

Daniel Theis - 15 missed games

That's 167 missed games! Here's the crazy kicker though... The Celtics record this season is somehow 53-25.

I don't know if the credit should go to Brad Stevens for managing to win games with a beat up roster, or to Danny Ainge for putting together a roster with real depth. The Celtics have won way more than they should have this season which makes you wonder, how good COULD they have been.

We all came into the year knowing they'd be a powerhouse in the NBA. Were they better than the Warriors? No. Were they better than Houston? No. Were they better than the Cavs? Probably not. As the season has played on, we've seen that the Cavs were not what they once were and the Warriors have had their injury troubles too. It's crazy to think that if the Celtics were healthy they may have truly been a championship team this year!

As much has it hurts to know they likely won't go to far in the playoffs, it's also encouraging. Think about the experience that Tatum, Brown and Rozier will get. Next season when that roster is back healthy and ready to go. The NBA should be very, VERY concerned.