The Boston Celtics are currently competing in the first round of the 2020-2021 National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs against the Brooklyn Nets. After finishing their regular season with a 36-36 record, they solidified their seventh seed playoff position with a final win at their first-ever play-in game. Jayson Tatum, NBA all-star, led the team to this crucial victory against the Washington Wizards, scoring 53 points.

The Celtics have definitely felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic this year, and they were the number one team in games missed due to outbreaks among the players. This, combined with the extraordinary number of injuries affecting star players, deeply impacted the team’s consistency.

Kemba Walker, starting point guard and NBA all-star, missed the first third of the season due to a knee injury. Many other players such as Marcus Smart and Robert Williams had on and off injuries throughout the season. Just as the whole team started to get healthy right before the playoffs, all-star Jaylen Brown suffered his own season-ending injury to his wrist.

The Brooklyn Nets are the second seed in the East Coast, and the Celtics have fallen behind 3-1 in the first round of the seven-game series. Although originally projected to have been a higher rank, it is important to keep in mind all of the obstacles that the Celtics faced throughout their entire season.

Despite everything the team has been through, on May 30, they were able to play their first game with a live crowd at TD Garden since March of 2020.