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“There may be nothing both good or dangerous, however considering makes it so” – Hamlet
The Boston Celtics had been 2 wins away from successful the NBA Finals. They’re bringing again their core and added Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari (return TBD) to it. They’re poised to take the subsequent step and lift one other banner within the rafters. Proper?
That’s the road of considering that makes the Celtics the chances on favourite to win the title this yr. However does that logic rise up? Or is it extra advanced than that? (Nicely sure, astute reader, in fact it’s extra advanced than that. You’re intelligent to see by way of my oversimplified setup.)
Successful an NBA championship is all the time arduous. All the time. Even for an amazing favorites. There are simply so many issues that may go mistaken throughout the course of a season and postseason. From accidents to crew chemistry to matchups to only plain dangerous luck.
I’ll submit that one underappreciated complicating issue is the load of expectations. Perhaps some guys on the crew can’t deal with the added stress. Some get over-inflated egos and bristle at being boxed into the identical function that they had the prior yr. Different groups are immediately circling the calendar to take down the brand new favorites.
For an instance, one want look no additional than the 2018-19 Boston Celtics. The logic heading into that season was seemingly sound as nicely. They reached the Jap Convention Finals the prior season with their two star gamers sidelined with accidents. So logically they appeared on the quilt of Sports activities Illustrated and appeared destined for greatness.
Everyone knows how that went. Younger gamers who carried the crew within the playoffs anticipated bigger roles. The celebs that returned from damage had been unable to or unwilling to adapt their video games. In brief, there have been too many mouths to feed they usually by no means discovered their steadiness as a crew.
Right here’s the half the place I take a proper flip and clarify why this yr’s crew is completely different.
With all that mentioned, the 2022-23 Celtics will not be the 2018-19 Celtics. There’s a transparent hierarchy and the 2 stars had been instrumental within the earlier season’s success. Everybody else on the crew, together with the brand new guys, at the very least publicly acknowledges and accepts their function within the present ecosystem. They’re all attempting to get higher and maximize their abilities, however they appear to grasp that crew success will translate to attaining their very own private objectives sooner.
A number of the credit score for that goes to move coach Ime Udoka. Not solely does he have the Spurs tradition pedigree, however he was the one which acquired this crew to purchase in final yr. That buy-in led on to the NBA Finals, so everybody ought to be proper again on board this time round.
It additionally takes a successful mindset from the gamers to essentially purchase in (as a substitute of giving the idea mere lip service). Look down the roster of key rotation gamers. From Marcus Good to Al Horford to Derrick White to Robert Williams III. Every one appears hard-wired with successful as the first objective.
And now I swing again to the opposite course and supply some cautionary warnings.
There nonetheless are challenges associated to heightened expectations. Jayson Tatum will likely be anticipated to compete for MVP. Something lower than that will likely be seen as a disappointment, and that’s a very, actually excessive bar to take care of all yr. Jaylen Brown must reply questions early on about being concerned in commerce talks (but once more). Whereas his free company remains to be two summers away, his efficiency on the court docket can and can play a significant function in what share of the cap he’ll have the ability to earn on his subsequent contract. Udoka was in a position to get the crew to promote out partly due to the massive gap that they dug for themselves early within the yr. If they’ve some early success, will he discover the best motivation to maintain them on observe relatively than slipping into outdated habits?
Don’t neglect that the remainder of the East is out to take down the Celtics. There are actually solely 3 groups that don’t have a lot hope of sniffing the play-in, however the remainder of the convention goes to be out to win as many basketball video games as doable. The Bucks will likely be again with a (knock on wooden) more healthy roster. The Miami Heat and Philly 76ers will likely be again. Surprisingly sufficient, the Brooklyn Nets are again. This isn’t going to be a simple highway by any means.
And now the optimistic flourish.
Nonetheless, I’m a believer on this crew. Not simply due to the straightforward narrative, however as a result of I’ve seen one thing rising of their character and tradition over the past a number of years. I feel Tatum and Brown are poised to have their greatest years but. I feel the crew surrounding them is not only proficient, however nicely suited to maximise their model. I feel the defensive identification will purchase them loads of room for error.
In brief, the expectations are excessive as a result of this crew could possibly be very particular. Right here’s hoping that they meet and perhaps even exceed expectations this yr and for years to come back.
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