Celtics’ championship hopes take huge hit with brutal injury

The Boston Celtics have been the hottest team in the NBA for two months now, but their title hopes appear to have taken a massive hit.

Celtics starting center Robert Williams is believed to have suffered a meniscus tear in his left knee, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports. The injury is expected to keep him out at least several weeks.

Williams left Sunday night’s 134-112 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves with a knee injury. Tests have since determined the severity, and unfortunately the news was not good.

Williams, 25, has averaged 10.0 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. His biggest contributions have come on defense. The Celtics have the best defense in the NBA, and that is largely because of Williams.

Williams was injured in Sunday night’s victory — Boston’s 24th in 28 games — and underwent an MRI today. Williams is first among 169 players who’ve defended 500-plus shots as the closest defender, per Second Spectrum tracking. Only Williams has held opponents sub-40 % shooting.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 28, 2022

The Celtics have won 24 of their last 28 games. They looked like they were heading for the play-in tournament at best earlier in the year, but they entered Monday tied for first in the Eastern Conference with the Miami Heat. Boston has been viewed as a legitimate championship contender, but replacing Williams will be extremely difficult.

Photo: Nov 1, 2021; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III (44) reacts during the second half against the Chicago Bulls at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports