The first game of the season for the Boston Celtics was a complete and utter failure. Unfortunately, they were forced to choose in the end, which would have repercussions for the franchise for many years.
After losing Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals to the Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics were left in a state of pain, despair, and uncertainty as they walked off the field. As a result of this loss, the Celtics could not advance to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year.
The game against the Heat brought to light all of Boston’s flaws as a team, deficiencies that the Celtics have never recovered from after having their season turned upside down by the suspension of their former coach Ime Udoka just days before training camp. Udoka was given a yearlong suspension for having an inappropriate relationship with a woman working for the organization. The suspension came as a result of the fact that he was caught engaging in sexual activity with the woman.
The star player for the Celtics, Jayson Tatum, admitted that it was not easy to acclimate to the new situation. “In the end, we were all successful. We had, without a doubt, set our sights on taking home the title. Didn’t happen.”
As we approach the offseason, there are, of course, the standard inquiries regarding the roster. And there are further questions, such as whether the Celtics have found the appropriate person to lead them as they attempt to make the most of their championship opportunity in Joe Mazzulla, who was formerly an interim coach but is now the full-time coach.
Tatum and Jaylen Brown, two of the most prominent players for Boston, are at the center of the most important issue.
Tatum is now 24 years old and still covered by the rookie extension that kicked in during the previous season and is signed through the next two years. Therefore, it will be in the summer of 2024 before he can be considered for a supermax extension. It may be valued at more than 300 million dollars and would begin in 2025-2026.
Brown, who is 26 years old and is available for a new deal this offseason, may be offered as much as a five-year contract extension worth as much as $295 million if he makes the All-NBA second team this season. Brown’s current agreement expires after this season.
It’s possible that the Celtics won’t be willing to commit to a pair that has yet to win a championship for Boston because the new Collective Bargaining Agreement places more restrictions on how teams can create their rosters and increases the luxury tax penalties.
Brown established new career highs in points (26.6), rebounds (6.9), and assists (3.5) during the regular season of the basketball season.
The postseason, though, saw a decline in all of those numbers. Brown had a terrible night, and it didn’t help that Tatum was hobbling about in pain after suffering an ankle injury on the first play of Game 7. Even though he scored 19 points, he only shot 8 of 23 from the field and committed eight turnovers.
After Monday’s defeat, it was the furthest thing from his mind to even consider his prospects in the immediate aftermath of the game because of this.
“We failed. I failed,” Brown stated. “If I’m being completely honest, it’s extremely difficult to think about anything other than this right now. When we get there, we’ll take care of crossing the bridge.”
When asked about his thought process heading into this summer, he responded that it is unclear at this point.
Brown responded, “At this point, I don’t even really know how to answer that question.” “My way of thinking is to take it one day at a time and to concentrate on getting better.” So keep your attention on what is ahead, and we will see where we stand.
Tatum has stated that he would like the front staff to stay together, a duo that has advanced to at least the conference finals in four of its six seasons while they have been playing together.
Tatum characterized the topic as “extremely important” during their conversation. He is widely regarded as one of the most talented players in this league. He is still relatively young despite his ability to play on both sides of the ball. To this point in his career, he has achieved great success. Consequently, this is of the utmost significance.
Mazzulla, who led the squad to a season in which they won 57 games, had a lot of support from his teammates in the locker room. However, he needed help adapting his game plan and adjusting while playing in the playoffs. It was a factor in the fact that the first two rounds of the playoffs went to different games and that Boston was trailing 3-0 in the conference finals.
Tatum argued that the accomplishments he achieved throughout the season should not be discounted due to this development.
It was his initial academic year. “We made it to game seven of the conference finals,” Tatum remarked. “In the end, we were all successful. We had, without a doubt, set our sights on taking home the title. Didn’t happen.
On the other hand, Joe did an outstanding job. We triumphed in fifty or so of our matches. We played our way into Game 7 of the conference championships. Everyone has room for improvement and growth if they pay attention to this. However, Joe did an outstanding job this year.
What Mazzulla will take away from this season is the resiliency of his squad, which allowed them to make the run they did despite the difficulties they faced at the beginning of the season.
He responded, “I think what we have to learn from that is what we have to do to get better. So what do we have to do to get better?” “Regardless of those circumstances, the guys in the locker room showed a sense of toughness and togetherness, starting the season in a certain way and getting to this point, and now we just got to figure out how to be better.”
