In the midst of an injury-plagued season, the Boston Celtics were still able to put together an impressive résumé. Already facing skepticism going into the season with only four returning players, the Celtics proved the public wrong with wins over essentially every top team in the league on the way to a top two finish in the East. They were led by star point guard Kyrie Irving and a primarily young core behind him.
But a week in mid-March altered its course when Irving, Marcus Smart, and Daniel Theis all went down with injuries.