After going 64-18 and going 8-2 through the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Boston Celtics are marching through arguably the easiest path to the Finals we have seen in NBA history. However, with the extremely high level of competition in the west, will the Boston Celtics be prepared when they play a team like the Timberwolves or the Mavericks?
When you look at the Boston Celtics, you see a team with an absurd amount of star power at face value. Their starting five has been dominant this season, the new additions of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday filling gaps this team overall has been struggling with the past few years: A tall yet agile player who can cover the floor, shoot, and defend, and a guard who can play make and succeed offensively as well as defensively. Adding to these additions, Derrick White has easily filled in his newer role of shooting guard, becoming a key piece of the puzzle and one of the most underrated playoff players so far.
However, with this progression in the lineup, one controversial habit has resulted: the duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum lessening their impact and influence on the court. Now that this Celtics squad has so much talent, these two have taken a back seat and guided the team to victory through experience, not through domination. There are pros and cons to this situation, with both creating questions of whether or not this team can succeed built like this. For starters, the pros are how it allows the new players to grow into more influential roles and find ways to score and play make without the assistance of either Tatum or Brown. On the other hand, the most successful star packed teams keep their two best as the two best, regardless of the amount of skill. For example, Lebron and Wade always dominated, regardless of the fact that they had Bosh and Allen at the 2 and the 5. Personally, although I do have ties to the Celtics, I believe this situation will be costly to how this team continues this offseason, and let me explain why.
When you look at this roster, you see a ton of spirit, yet also a ton of pressure. The Celtics have made the Eastern Conference finals 5 of the last 7 years, and won them once, in 2022. Now that they have the best record since 2008 and a new additions who have found success, the amount of pressure on this team to get the job done is wild. They have lost two games all postseason, and the minute they did, haters and non-believers flooded social media to make fun of them, yet the response to when they won was non-existent. Besides the fact that Boston fans are famous for alienating all other basketball fans, this team is truly disliked by almost every single fan outside of New England. Regardless of the hate, the team itself also has issues.
Over the season, Jayson Tatum has put up extremely good numbers in most categories, yet they are below expectations for someone considered to be top 5 in the NBA. With players like Anthony Edwards and Luka Doncic battling for that other Finals spot, Tatum is expected to rise up and take the reigns to lead this team to victory, yet he has yet to do so. After going to OT against the Pacers in game one and being saved by Jaylen Brown, NBA teams and fans have no evidence this year that Jayson Tatum can win when it counts. Sure he had the 50 point game seven last year, and sure he has led this team to the finals, yet those moments overshadow all of Jayson Tatum's games where he fell well below the bar and could not get it done.
The other member of Boston's veteran duo is also under pressure to prove his worth this season. Jaylen Brown has been a supposed superstar for multiple years, yet with how he performed last playoffs, many fans across basketball question his viability as a top tier star. Bombarded constantly with hate comments about his left hand ability, Jaylen Brown's ability to play to his strengths is the missing piece to the puzzle that is the Boston Celtics, and he will need to find that piece in the coming games.
As I have mentioned, this years Western Conference is playing some of the best basketball we have ever seen. With a young and hungry Anthony Edwards coupled with defensive weapon Rudy Gobert and overall threat Karl Anthony-Towns, the Minnesota Timberwolves have surpassed all expectations this year. Against them is a dominant and prepared Dallas Mavericks team, with the duo of Kyrie and Luka already taking down the one-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. These two teams have been ready and hungry all playoffs, and they will most definitely not slow down for the Celtics.
In the end, this team's success comes down to three factors: How they handle pressure, how Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can perform, and how their opponents continue to play. With Boston's fans being let down in the playoffs time and time again, Boston's "winning culture" as a city is being held up by this team, and with Bruins gone, this Celtics team is the only thing keeping Boston's loyal fans excited and hopeful.
Tyler Rath
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