It has been weeks now since the conclusion of the 2021-22 season, but Celtics Nation is still thinking about the series that cost them the title.
After a stunning performance in the second half of the season, the Cs made a run to the Finals before being crushed by the powerful and experienced Golden State Warriors.
While there is a widespread belief that Golden State was the better team, former Celtics star Antoine Walker challenged the narrative by saying his former club handed the Warriors the chip.
“I think they [the Heat] would have had a better shot,” Walker said. “I don’t know if they could have scored enough to keep up with the Warriors, but defensively they would have been so stingy. And that’s where the Heat and the game plan would have been a lot different than the Celtics. I hate to take away from Golden State, but if you go back and watch the film, Boston gave Golden State that championship.”
Antoine Walker (@WalkerAntoine8) says Miami would have had a better chance than the Celtics to beat the Warriors in the Finals.
"I hate to take away from Golden State but, if you go back and watch the film, Boston gave Golden State that championship."
📺 https://t.co/ITze4DimE1 pic.twitter.com/txUs9IsNEP
— Locked On Heat (@LockedOnHeat) August 8, 2022
It’s certainly an interesting perspective, even if it does come from a semi-biased source. Walker mentions how the Heat would have been a better matchup based on their ‘stingy’ defense, but Boston had the best defense in the league before matching up against Golden State.
Eventually, the Celtics (just like many before them) just couldn’t keep up with Golden State’s super-powered offense, and they were unable to catch up.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to tell for sure how the Heat would have done in the series, but if a former Celtic is saying they’d do better than Boston, it definitely carries some weight.
Maybe next year, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will have more success closing the deal on an NBA title. Until then, fans and experts will have to just keep contemplating what went wrong.
