The Boston Celtics aren’t supposed to be here. Early on in the season, they were a complete and total mess, struggling to win games as they fought from within.
Somehow, they were able to turn the season around and make a run to the Finals, but not everyone believed in them early on, including Jayson Tatum’s dad, Justin, who recently told Bally Sports.
“I didn’t think they were going to make the playoffs at the beginning of the season. Y’all are bad, y’all don’t share the ball, you don’t do a lot of this — and this was in November, December before they went on that run.”
“Who are we going to trade,” he asked rhetorically, transporting himself back in his mind to that frustrating moment for Celtics fans everywhere. “Who are we going to let go? We’ve got to figure out something.”
“Now, to see them beating the Brooklyn Nets, going through (the) Milwaukee (Bucks), the NBA Champions from last year, and then finishing off Jimmy Butler (of the Miami Heat), I did not expect it,” he continued. “That’s what professionals are. The old guys on that team showed what professionals are supposed to be like. That’s what your job is. You’ve got to find a way not to be an inconsistent team, to be a winning team.”
Celtics Lab 122: Talking about the 2022 NBA Playoffs, Derrick White, and Giannis with Mirin Fader https://t.co/mBI5O5cE6V
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) June 13, 2022
It’s an unlikely path for Boston, but they should get credit for making it happen. After experiencing so much dysfunction and division in the fall and winter, they were able to figure it all out and consistently dominate on both ends of the floor.
Now, they stand just two wins away from a championship against one of the NBA’s proudest and most accomplished organizations.
The 2022 Celtics are just the latest example of why you can’t always judge a team by how they start the season.
