What are we supposed to do now?
But seriously, after watching the Celtics collapse against the 76ers and seeing their season come to a crashing halt, it feels like something is missing from spring.
We’ve all devoted countless hours to watching this team play in May and June, and knowing that the journey is completely finished as of May 2 just doesn’t feel right.
In one sense, this team ultimately underachieved and fell short of its potential. In another, if you view it through a broader lens, the Celtics
also overachieved and exceeded expectations from the start.
“When you start a season, you think you’re going to be playing until June every single year,” Sam Hauser told reporters. “That’s the expectation, especially being in Boston and with the Celtics — the standard is a championship, and when you fall short of that, it’s disappointing. But there’s a lot of good that we can take from this year and a lot of things that we can build off of.”
As you wake up in a somber daze, and solemnly stare out your window, I encourage you to view this season through both a glass-half full and glass-half-empty prism. I don’t think it’s accurate to say it was a complete success, and I also don’t think it’s fair to say it was a complete failure.
In that sense, it’s a very unique season and one unlike any other I can recall. The only one that comes close is the Isaiah Thomas masterpiece in 2017, but that one felt different as the Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. This playoff run was over before it began. So, how can fans not be disappointed?
No, no, don’t get me wrong … You can absolutely be disappointed, but you should also be grateful. Back when the season began, many expected it would end somewhat like it eventually did. The Celtics would lose in the first round to a more-talented opponent and fade into the night as a middling team.
But, they didn’t do so as the 7-seed. They did so as the 2-seed, which makes it so much more difficult to digest.
Remember, they weren’t supposed to be here. In my opinion, these are the most gratifying seasons, where a team defies the odds and the whole becomes greater than the parts.
“This season, what the expectations were and how we came out and we rose to meet that level of uncertainty with this group,” Jaylen Brown told reporters. “There’s nothing more I could ask for. I had a great time with my teammates. We played hard. Feel like we left it all out there. Tonight, we came up short.”
Brown took his game to the next level this season. Derrick White was a dominant force defensively. Payton Pritchard created even more for himself and others. Hauser evolved as a driver and defender. Neemias Queta was one of the most-improved players in the NBA. Luka Garza, Baylor Scheierman, Ron Harper Jr., Hugo González and Jordan Walsh stayed ready and all made significant strides.
Oh yeah, and Jayson Tatum busted his butt and came back. He didn’t just come back. He was back. Back to his old ways, terrorizing opponents and making the game look easy. Then came another injury. Life isn’t always fair, but Tatum should be applauded for his resilience and determination. Full stop.
When you look closely at the roster, and compare it to Celtics teams of the past and other rosters around the NBA, it’s truly a remarkable feat that the Celtics secured the 2-seed. Joe Mazzulla and his staff deserve a great deal of credit for maximizing each player’s skills and pushing the right buttons throughout the regular season.
At the same time, this series exposed what is clearly a flawed roster with several holes. The Celtics need a versatile big who can defend, rebound and score at a high level. They need a wing who can give Brown and Tatum a breather and get buckets. They need a scrappy on-ball defender (it may be González, but he’s still learning) who can pester opponents and let them know he’s there.
While there are many layers to this series, when you break it down to its core, the deciding factor (besides Joel Embiid, of course) was that the Sixers felt way too comfortable in the games they won. There was no resistance. Where was Kevin Garnett, Marcus Smart or Jrue Holiday to channel that intensity the right way?
I admire the youth approach, and it’s quite amazing how much each player grew, but they need more defensive-minded veterans to complement that young talent.
Oh yeah, and there’s the 3-point shooting. I love 3-pointers more than anyone I know, so if I’m saying you’re shooting too many 3’s, you’re probably shooting too many 3’s. There’s nothing wrong with having it as your bread and butter, but you need to be able to diversify your offensive approach when the 3-ball isn’t falling.
This will be an interesting offseason, and I expect the team to look different moving forward. I don’t think this is the end of the Tatum and Brown era, but otherwise, nothing would surprise me.
As you digest this season, and analyze what went wrong with a glass-half-empty mind-set, this is your friendly reminder to also look at the glass half full. It was one hell of a ride. Be grateful it happened. For now, maybe read a book, get outside, spend time with your family.
The Celtics will be back. They’ll learn from this, and next time, they’ll be ready to shatter the glass to smithereens.
Pritchard summed it up perfectly while speaking with reporters Saturday night.
“Just because you don’t win a championship one year doesn’t mean it didn’t build for the next championship.”
