Celtics' final game before All-Star break is a sneaky important one

BOSTON -- It would be easy for the shorthanded Celtics to shrug off a mid-February game against the last-place Pistons. They're coming off a hard-fought and gutsy overtime loss to the Bucks on Tuesday night, and Wednesday's tilt is the final game before the much-needed respite that will come with the NBA's All-Star break.

But with Tuesday night's defeat in Milwaukee, the Celtics are now in danger of hitting hit the break out of first place in the East. The Bucks sit just half-a-game behind Boston in the standings, and a Celtics loss on Wednesday mixed with a Milwaukee win over Chicago on Thursday would flip the two teams atop the conference.

The Celtics in second place?!?! That concept has seemed impossible for the last few months after Boston's torrid start to the season. But after clawing out a victory against a Celtics team that didn't have Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Al Horford on Tuesday, the Bucks will have a chance to claim the top spot in the East when the NBA hits its break.

That's not to say the Celtics can't beat the Pistons on Wednesday. Detroit has already lost 43 games this season, three of which have come at the hands of the C's.

But now with Derrick White likely out after remaining in Milwaukee to get his ear checked out, the "Hospital Celtics" will be even more shorthanded on Wednesday. Jayson Tatum will once again sit with an illness, and Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart will likely be shelved again as well. With the way that White has been playing as of late, not having the Eastern Conference Player of the Week is massive, not to mention everyone who will be thrust into bigger roles against the Pistons just gave it their all in Tuesday night's overtime loss.

Still, a win Wednesday wouldn't be surprising. The Boston Brass could sneak the entire Maine Celtics roster onto the floor and still likely come away with a win. The Pistons are that bad. (And Maine iteration of the Celtics is actually pretty good.)

Falling out of first isn't a huge deal for the Celtics. They've proven they can beat anyone anywhere, outside of the Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. And the Bucks are really on a roll right now, winners of 11 straight. Given how much trouble they had with Boston's reserves on Tuesday, they should cool off at some point. The Celtics, once they get the likes of Brown and Smart back, should start to rack up the wins again.

But the what many fans may not realize is the All-Star break is not the midway point of the season. After Wednesday night's game, there are only 23 games left in the regular season for the Celtics. The playoffs are less than two months away. 

The Celtics have a tough stretch right out of the break, with a game in Philadelphia and home and road games against Cleveland. If Tatum doesn't snap out of his shooting slump, and a masked Brown and rusty Smart need some time to reacclimate, a rough patch could lay ahead for the C's. And with Tuesday's loss, a tiebreaker against the Bucks will come down to a March 30 visit to Milwaukee. 

Boston's title odds will not crumble if the Celtics don't finish in first place. And if they end up putting a priority on resting their stars over wins in March and early April, finishing as the two- or even three-seed could become a reality.

Tuesday night was a moral victory, but unfortunately those don't show up in the standings. Now what is left of the Celtics ahead of the break has a sneaky important game on Wednesday, with a lot of important players set to sit out.