{"id":712298,"date":"2026-04-17T08:51:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T08:51:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/712298\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T08:51:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T08:51:22","slug":"celticsblog-predictions-hot-takes-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/712298\/","title":{"rendered":"CelticsBlog predictions: hot takes edition"},"content":{"rendered":"

The playoffs bring out something different in us. Suddenly, media and fans alike have takes they need to get on record \u2014 not because it\u2019s right, necessarily, but because there\u2019s a chance it might be. And if it is, well, you\u2019ll be hearing about it for the next six months. The other 480 takes that didn\u2019t quite land? Those quietly disappear into the void.<\/p>\n

At CelticsBlog, we like to think we\u2019re above that. Thoughtful. Measured. Responsible. But this time of year has a way of breaking even the strongest wills. So we gave in.<\/p>\n

\"BOSTON,<\/a><\/p>\n

BOSTON, MA – APRIL 12: Baylor Scheierman #55 and Ron Harper Jr. #13 of the Boston Celtics celebrate during the second half of a 113-108 win over the Orlando Magic at TD Garden on April 12, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and\/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo By Winslow Townson\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n

Everyone loves a hot take. Let\u2019s hear one for the Celtics.<\/p>\n

Jeff Clark<\/a>: My hot take is that Baylor Scheierman is going to win us a game. Payton Pritchard is going to win us a series. And Derrick White is going to get us to the Finals. Then it is on the Jays to take us home.<\/p>\n

Bill Sy<\/a>: Hot take, you say? The cold, boring answer is that defense wins championships. The surface-of-the-sun take is where that D comes from. As we\u2019ve seen all year, Mazzulla is going to task all the young wings to do some heavy lifting on that side of the ball. Expect Jalen Brunson and Cade Cunningham to get heavy doses of Jordan Walsh and Hugo Gonzalez.<\/p>\n

Rich Jensen<\/a>: I don\u2019t like hot takes. If you\u2019d ever had the misfortune of waiting for me to decide where to eat, you\u2019d know that I don\u2019t make up my mind quickly. I don\u2019t really have a hot take regarding the Celtics. But I might have a mild or medium take\u2014one with no habaneros and only a few jalapenos. I think that the Celtics might break the tradition of tighter playoff rotations. I think that few championship caliber teams have been this deep\u2014as evidenced by the team\u2019s game 82 win, and I think Mazzulla might find a way to exploit that depth as the playoffs unfold.<\/p>\n

Ian Inangelo<\/a>: My hot take for the playoffs is that Nikola Vucevic has one game where he wins Boston a game with his impact off the bench like Kristaps Porzingis in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n

Mark Aboyoun<\/a>: The Celtics don\u2019t lose more than two games per series leading up to the Finals. Whether it\u2019s Orlando or Philadelphia, New York or Detroit, the Celtics will win every series in six games or fewer.<\/p>\n

Nirav Barman<\/a>: Unfortunately, I\u2019m superstitious, and I also know there are plenty of Green Teamers who see the team with shamrock tinted glasses, so I don\u2019t have any particularly hot takes. I believe this team can hang with anyone in the league, including OKC and San Antonio. We won\u2019t be the favorites in every matchup, but we shouldn\u2019t be far from it, especially if Tatum and White find their strides.<\/p>\n

Mike Dynon<\/a>: This is the spiciest we can make it: Jayson Tatum will duplicate what Jaylen Brown did two years ago, winning Most Valuable Player of both the Eastern Conference Finals and the NBA Finals, and leading the Celtics to yet another banner.<\/p>\n

\"BOSTON,<\/a><\/p>\n

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 21: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics reacts as he holds the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player trophy during the 2024 Boston Celtics championship parade following their 2024 NBA Finals win on June 21, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n

Ryan Paice<\/a>: Queta is going to emerge as the team\u2019s most impactful role player, even ahead of White. Especially with the lack of defensive depth at center behind Queta, I think he\u2019s going to put up some impressive +\/- numbers over the course of the playoffs and prove to be a vital key to the team\u2019s success. His defensive impact will be noticeable at all times, both when he\u2019s on the court swatting shots and swallowing up offensive boards, and when he\u2019s on the bench and we have to watch teams repeatedly target Vucevic and Garza.<\/p>\n

White might still be the better overall player, but Queta is less replaceable on this current squad and will have a chance to show he\u2019s a top-tier starting center in the league. I expect him to seize it.<\/p>\n

Gio Rivera<\/a>: Baylor Scheierman will make himself right at home this postseason.<\/p>\n

That signature thumbs-up celebration will pop up often enough for the Causeway Street T-shirt vendors to get to work, rolling out a fresh design that floods North Station by the Eastern Conference Finals. Scheierman will rise to the occasion, shoot better than 45 percent from three throughout the playoffs, and even get Joe Mazzulla in on the thumbs-up celebration at some point (OK, maybe that last part is a stretch).<\/p>\n

Grant Burfeind<\/a>: Luka Garza is going to hit a huge corner three late in a tight playoff game, right in front of the opposing bench, and unleash an all-time mean mug. I can see it so clearly it\u2019s basically a memory at this point. You\u2019ll hear the screech of Garzilla before the ball even hits the net.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The playoffs bring out something different in us. Suddenly, media and fans alike have takes they need to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":712299,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3766],"tags":[7,45,75,65415,3798,46,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-712298","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-boston-celtics","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-boston","10":"tag-boston-celtics","11":"tag-boston-celtics-discussion","12":"tag-bostonceltics","13":"tag-celtics","14":"tag-nba"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116419198708704783","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/712298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=712298"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/712298\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/712299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=712298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=712298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=712298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}