BOSTON, MA. - JANUARY 16: Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens reacts to a call as Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse looks on during the second half of the NBA game at the TD Garden on January 16, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Staff Photo By Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)

The Boston Celtics will be looking to make a push in the Eastern Conference after the All-Star break. Getting past the Toronto Raptors is the challenge.

For the Boston Celtics to gain an edge on the Toronto Raptors for second place in the Eastern Conference, they need to come back from the All-Star break much stronger and keep the positive momentum rolling through the second half of the season.

The Celtics have found themselves to be in a consistent rhythm and have won nine of their last 10 games. While the Raptors are currently on a 14-game winning streak, they’re also playing great basketball and are two games ahead of the Celtics in the Eastern Conference.

At this point in the season everyone is a little banged up. But as of lately, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, Marcus Smart, and Daniel Theis have all missed multiple games right before the break. Luckily with the All-Star break approaching, it gives the Celtics a much-needed rest period.

President of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics, Danny Ainge, made it known the biggest necessity for his team this season has been health.

Taking it one step further, the Celtics have only had the luxury of using their top lineup in just 10 games this season because of injuries. It’s incredible they’re sitting in third place right now.

Believe it or not, what is spreading the Raptors apart from the Celtics is the strong production from their bench. The Raptors’ bench is extremely efficient, versatile, and can be used in various lineups.

All of this while averaging 34.3 points per game this season, which is good for 22nd in the league. Raptors’ head coach Nick Nurse is able to use most of the players on his roster almost at will. All his players have a defined role and it’s helped the Raptors win 14 straight games.

The Celtics’ bench, on the other hand, has been a liability at times this season. The bench is ranked near the bottom of the league this season, only scoring 29.2 points per game which is good for 28th in the league.

The bench is another reason Danny Ainge mentioned health as being top priority for his team. The injuries have taken important players away from their bench. In a perfect world, perhaps Smart or Hayward would be the leader of the second unit, maybe even in a starter-plus-bench configuration.

A big problem with the Celtics, in comparison to the Raptors, is the lack of roster balance exacerbated by their depth issues. They have a lot of players who play the same position, but also bring similar qualities to the team.

If it seems surprising to think about it like this, then why was Hayward playing point guard when both Walker and Smart were out?

Not because the team doesn’t trust Brad Wanamaker, but because there is ultimately a lack of depth.

Moving forward to the second half of the season, the Celtics are hoping for good health and to get solid contributions from their two rookie first-round draft picks, Grant Williams and Romeo Langford.

The team seems to be confident in a potential return of Robert Williams at some point this season. He will be a great addition to the center rotation and will let the overworked Kanter and Theis take some plays off to breathe.

For the Celtics to take a commanding charge in the East after the All-Star break, they need to remain consistent and keep up the defensive pressure. The Celtics seem to excel on offense when they’re playing high energy defense.

The second half of the season becomes more intense than the first half. Both the Celtics and Raptors have some challenging games coming up after the break; as they’re both facing off against the Milwaukee Bucks multiple times during the second half of the season. The true meaning of “every game counts” will be put on display as teams make their final push towards the playoffs.

When the Boston Celtics are healthy, they’re poised to make a deep playoff run. It’ll be interesting to see if they can put it all together and do it again this season.