One of the emerging stories late in this season has been the Boston Celtics and their refusal to disclose the vaccination status of the roster. Brad Stevens recently spoke about the fluctuating rules as a reason they haven’t made this information public, but they might have to soon enough. One particular playoff scenario could pose a problem for the Celtics.
Boston is currently the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference, but could easily end the season in 3rd or 4th if just a couple of results go awry. Meanwhile, the Toronto Raptors, who are 6th and tied with the Bulls in 5th, could finish somewhere in that region too. The possibility of these two teams facing each other in the first round is looking quite high, and if that happens, then a lack of vaccination might become a serious issue.
According to The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn, two important ‘frontline players’ for the Celtics have not received the required vaccination to enter Canada and play in games, which could leave them severely shorthanded in a potential series against the Raptors.
“What could derail this season, however, is the team entering the playoffs without all players vaccinated,” Washburn wrote in a column published Sunday. “The Celtics refuse to say publicly whether all their players are vaccinated, as some teams have declared. And according to an NBA source, at least two frontline players are not vaccinated, which would prevent those two players from participating in road games in a playoff series against the Toronto Raptors.”
The Celtics have been one of the NBA’s hottest teams since the turn of the year and look positively unbeatable at the moment. But if two of their starters miss 3 games in a series, then it will be quite hard for the Celtics to make it out of a matchup against the Raptors. Having played a great season, that would be a disappointing end for them, but how true this is and whether it’s relevant will only become apparent with time.
