Jeff Goodman: Celtics should be the best defense in the league

Since the start of 2022, the Boston Celtics have the fourth-best record in the NBA and the number-one ranked defense. After a rocky start to the season, they are now in a position to fight for home-court advantage in the playoffs.

But not only has their defense been the best, it’s been the best by far. Their defensive rating of 101.2 in that time span is 4.4 points better than the second-best defense. The gap between one and two is bigger than the gap between two and nine. They are allowing just 98.7 points per contest.

This elite-level defense has been carrying them to some impressive wins in the calendar year. Bob Ryan pointed out this progress on the latest edition of The Garden Report on CLNS Media.

“I hope that what we saw was the start of something very substantive. What they were doing is what we thought they could have and should have been doing all along which is winning the games you’re supposed to win… Not only are they winning these games, for the most part, but they’re winning them in convincing fashion.”

Before their loss against the Detroit Pistons, Boston had won nine games in a row. The streak included four games that the Celtics won by 30 points or more, including the 48-point stomp of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Jeff Goodman weighed in on the conversation, too. He said that with the defensive pieces the Celtics have compiled, there’s no reason they shouldn’t be the best defense in the NBA.

“They should be the best defensive team in the league. Honestly, if you throw out White, Smart, Jaylen, Tatum, Robert Williams, or Horford. They should be as good as any team in the league defensively.”

Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, and Robert Williams all rank in the top 16 in the NBA in defensive win shares this season. And Tatum even leads the league.

Goodman then looked toward the postseason. While regular-season success is great, it’s all about the playoffs, and the way Goodman sees it, there’s a clear best path forward for the C’s.

“They probably gotta get in the four, five spot and hope they get Cleveland in the first round. If they can do that, beat Cleveland, then you’re playing with house money as far as I’m concerned. If you win a first-round playoff series this year with this team, it’s been a success.”

With how poorly the Celtics started off this year, the term “house money” makes perfect sense. And with how tight the Eastern Conference is, Boston could end up playing a ton of different teams in the first round.

Goodman ended his thought process by mentioning the team’s stars – Tatum and Brown. When the team was struggling, they were constantly criticized in the media. But with how well the pair has been playing, Goodman thinks they heard the slander and took it to heart.

“Maybe they heard us. Maybe Tatum and Brown heard us a little bit. I think they did. Those are guys that are looking at social media, they’re hearing things… I think we’ve seen a different Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown over the last month.”