The Boston Celtics are trying to finally break the Eastern Conference barrier and make it to the NBA Finals. The team hasn’t been to the Finals since their loss in 2010 but has had multiple Conference Finals appearances since, with all resulting in losses.
Despite the consistency Boston has found as a playoff team, they have a lot of former playoff opponents they need to exact revenge on. Thankfully, the playoff grid is shaped in such a way that the Celtics can take all the revenge they want to in one post-season. Boston has found itself on a path to avenge all its playoff eliminations from 2019 to 2021.
In 2019, Boston lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round before eliminating them in the 2022 second round. In 2021, the Celtics lost to the Brooklyn Nets in the first round but swept the Nets in the 2022 first round. Now they are looking to beat the Miami Heat in the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals, the same team that beat them in the 2020 ECF.
We have never seen a post-season like this where one team gets matched up against the last three teams to eliminate them, that too in the same round they were eliminated in. It seems the story is already set up as a tale of redemption.
The Celtics are currently playing Game 1 in Miami and have led for the majority of the game, but are vulnerable to a possible Heat comeback. As of writing this, Miami has taken an 8-point lead with six minutes left in the third quarter.
This Boston team has overcome a lot of adversity through the season, and an 8-point lead isn’t what will faze them. Hopefully, we see this be another fantastic series and find out whether Boston can exorcise their Conference Finals ghosts and finally make it on to the NBA Finals.
