The number 617 means a lot to the Boston Celtics. Not only is it the area code for the city of Boston but also the date of the last two times the Celtics won the NBA Championship. Last summer, after 16 grueling years, the Celtics finally captured Banner 18.
This summer was supposed to be a celebration for the team. The tandem of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown demonstrated that they are better together than without one another. Key acquisitions in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis proved to be the right moves for the team. Head coach Joe Mazzulla’s crazy antics and analytical coaching style showed that he was the right man to lead the team.
“What are they going to say now,” Tatum uttered in his postgame interview after Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
Well, the media and rival fans have let him know that the Celtics had the easiest path to winning a championship. The Celtics could not control their path to winning an NBA championship. Along the way, the Celtics faced off against opposing teams who would be without some of their key players. In the first round, the Miami Heat were without Jimmy Butler. The second round saw the Cleveland Cavilers without Donovan Mitchell for two games. Against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, Tyrese Haliburton was injured for three games.
The Finals were the same, as the Dallas Mavericks could not match the star power the Celtics had to offer. The Celtics finished 16-3 in the playoffs, proving they were the best team in basketball. However, when Banner 18 gets raised on opening night at TD Garden, don’t be shocked when the media points out that there should be an asterisk on it.
Tatum has received the bulk of criticism and disrespect from the media. On paper, Tatum was supposed to have the best summer ever. He just became an NBA champion, secured a $314 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid player in the league, and won his second gold medal in the Paris Olympics. It was the complete opposite for Tatum.
Tatum didn’t impress when it mattered the most in the Finals. He continued his shooting woes from his last Finals appearance, and had a horrible shooting performance in Game 2 of the Finals, shooting 27%. Tatum contributed on other parts of the court, with his rebounding and assists leading the team, but still, it was not enough to win him Finals MVP. However, that didn’t matter to him, as everybody on the team had to sacrifice to win a championship. With a championship added to his resume, Tatum set his sights on winning the United States a fifth consecutive gold medal.
While the USA defeated France in the gold medal game, Tatum felt like the biggest loser. Tatum was embarrassed on the national stage, being benched twice in the tournament by head coach Steve Kerr. Celtics fans were outraged at how a player could be humiliated after winning a championship. Rival fans and the media mocked Tatum. Tatum called his experience in the Paris Olympics challenging and humbling.
Tatum may not have received the playing time he wanted, but at least he was selected to the Olympics team, unlike his teammate Brown. Brown came off one of the best seasons in his career, winning Finals MVP. It still was not enough to represent the USA. Team USA said Brown was not the best fit for the team. Brown alludes to the fact that Nike, the main sponsor of Team USA, was the reason he was not chosen for the team because of critical statements Brown has made about the company. Brown has been called out by Stephen A. Smith of First Take for not being as marketable as he should be because he has an I-am-better-than-you-attitude.
The Celtics will have the daunting task of becoming back-to-back champions in the upcoming season. Teams in the Eastern and Western Conference have upgraded their rosters to stack up against the reigning champions. The New York Knicks have added Karl Anthony-Towns and Mikael Bridges to the roster to help aid Jalen Brunson.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers signed Paul George in the hope he is the right piece to go along with Joel Embiid. Because of this, one analyst has claimed the Celtics are not even the front-runners for the championship.
Former Celtics player, now an analyst for ESPN Kendrick Perkins has held a grudge against his former team. Perkins has gone with the agenda of the Celtics having an easy path. “No one in the NBA is scared right now of the Boston Celtics,” Perkins said on ESPN. Perkins followed up his statement citing the reason the NBA is on a streak of no team repeating as champions because teams are getting better every offseason.
To his point, Perkins is right, the NBA has not seen a team repeat as champions since the Golden State Warriors did it in 2017 and 2018. The odds are once again against the Celtics, as the last three NBA Champions were eliminated in the second round the following season after winning a championship.
At the end of the day, you can’t take Banner 18 away from the Celtics, they rightfully won it. However, you can try to stop them from winning the next one. While the Celtics dominated last season, who says they can do it again?
Porzingis is still labeled as fragile and is one injury away from being out for the season. Al Horford and Holiday are aging veterans who won’t perform at the level they did last season. Brown still can’t dribble with his left, can’t make his free throws consistently and is seen as unmarketable and a brand risk to some companies.
Coach Mazzulla is still too young and inexperienced to be a top-five coach in the NBA. He inherited a talented roster and benefited from a veteran coaching staff. His offense relies too much on three-pointers and can’t tactically outwit the opposing coach. Mazzulla’s snarky comments and aggressive behavior will undo all of his success.
Lastly, Tatum is not the player he thinks he is. He’s not capable of being an MVP-caliber player. Doesn’t play to his size or strengths. He’s not known for having a killer instinct. Has a poor shot selection, with his three-point percentage falling every year. Unable to take over in the playoffs consistently, and be the lead option.
All of this noise and disrespect can be gone by proving the doubters wrong once again. All it takes is 82 regular season games and 16 wins in the playoffs to become champions again.
The Celtics have heard the comments and know teams want to knock them off the top of the mountain. ”People are going to say the targets on our back, but I hope it’s right on our forehead between our eyes. I hope I can see the red dot,” Mazzulla said, acknowledging the target to take down the Celtics.
Brown has echoed Mazzulla’s comments. “I want blood,” Brown said on his Instagram. “I’m extremely motivated, for obvious reasons. I’m ready to get after this.”
Other players on the team don’t need any extra motivation to go for another championship. The long-term goal of this historic franchise was not to win one championship but to build a dynasty to go along with other great teams that donned Celtic white and green.
“People think that we’re gonna be really good. People think we’re gonna suck, but none of that matters, Holiday said All that matters is that we take care of each other and we go out there every day and do what we can for the person next to us.”
Opening night is just under a week away, and there is only one question left to ask. Are you ready for it?
