This season, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been on an absolutely unbelievable tear. With a combined scoring average of over 55 per game, the Js are playing some of the best two-man basketball we’ve ever seen.
When you compare this performance to where they were a year ago, which is pretty close to rock bottom, it’s clear that something clicked for the Celtics this summer.
According to Brown, it’s last year’s Finals loss that has brought out the best in the Celtics.
“I think out experiences kind of cultivated that. Losing at the highest point in the NBA Finals, it’s nothing more humbling than that,” Brown said. “There’s nothing that can bring forth humility than losing at the biggest moment of your career. Transferring into this season, I think we were all humbled. I think that’s a part of our makeup as well. So, coming in and understanding that kind of cultivates that force because we are playing from experiences, from the heartbreak, from coming up short and you’re seeing some of that being put forth into the season.”
Jaylen Brown says the Celtics were "humbled" by their loss in the NBA Finals & it's been a driving force behind their success pic.twitter.com/9kb8gmRDfX
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) December 8, 2022
There is no doubt that the Celtics are the NBA’s best team by far. With a +8.8 point differential, they are consistently blowing other teams out, including the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday when Boston beat them by 27 points.
What Is The Ceiling For This Celtics Team?
Last season, we see the Celtics make a run to the Finals before getting outmatched by the Warriors, who used their experience and depth to overwhelm their Eastern Conference foes.
While Boston kept the same core as they’ve had in years past, they did make some pretty big additions, including Malcolm Brogdon and Blake Griffin, to build up their roster. It has all led up to making them the team they are now, which is virtually unstoppable. Even back in early November, Jayson Tatum knew something was different about his squad.
“I think we were really good enough last season,” Tatum said. “It’s night and day this season from how we started last season. But, whenever we made that change, I just feel like we haven’t looked back. For the most part, we got the same group, one or two new guys, but they really know how to play the game. So from the first day of training camp, it’s just trusting each other, trusting that whenever you move the ball, it’s gonna come back and that’s how we continue to play.”
At the time of writing, Tatum is the favorite for MVP, and his Celtics are the frontrunners to raise the Larry O’Brien trophy in June.
But, as Tatum learned a few months ago, there are no prizes for second place. As good as the Cs are playing now, they will have to maintain that level of play throughout the postseason if they want to really call this campaign a success.
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