To make the conference finals and be on the doorstep of the NBA Finals is a major accomplishment. For the Boston Celtics, this has become the new normal, as they are back in the Eastern Conference Finals for the sixth time in the last eight years after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games. While this is yet another reminder that the Celtics have been one of the most successful teams in the league over the last decade, the evaluations of their recent postseason history have been met with harsh reviews.
The bottom line is that playoff success has looked a lot like playoff failure for the Celtics.
Despite making the Eastern Conference Finals six times since 2017, the Celtics have just one NBA Finals appearance to their name during this stretch. The last championship trophy in the Celtics' collection is from 2008.
Boston fell short against the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals when Stephen Curry led his team to their fourth title since 2015. This appearance in the Finals masked a lot of the times the Celtics came up just short in the conference finals. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been the focal points of this organization for years, but they faced two major roadblocks preventing them from getting to the Finals prior to 2022: LeBron James and Jimmy Butler.
LeBron won't interfere with the Celtics this time around seeing as he and the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs in the Western Conference. Butler and the Miami Heat aren't going to be an issue for the Celtics in the conference finals either after Boston defeated the Heat in five games early on in the postseason. As for Curry and the Warriors, they did not even make the playoffs this year.
All of the stars have aligned for the Celtics to get back to the NBA Finals. Only this time, they find themselves with a great shot to finally snap their cold streak of 15 straight seasons without a championship, the second-longest title drought in franchise history. Whether or not they can do so and finally gain the respect of the rest of the NBA is something that remains uncertain given their underwhelming victory over Cleveland.
Celtics escaped shorthanded Cavaliers
A win against the Cavaliers on Wednesday night makes the Celtics 8-2 during the playoffs. Boston is the first team to advance to the conference finals, and they now await the winner of the series between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers. Regardless of who their opponent is, the Celtics will be the favorites to go to the 2024 NBA Finals.
Amid all of the success they have found in the playoffs and during a 64-win season, the Celtics have still looked vulnerable at times. At home, Boston only lost four games this season. Both of the Celtics' losses during these playoffs have been at TD Garden, and Wednesday night's victory over the Cavs was not a given by any means. The concerning aspect of this is that Cleveland was without Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and Caris LeVert.
With 9:32 remaining in the game, Evan Mobley slammed home a dunk to pull the Cavs within three points after trailing by as many as double digits earlier in the second half. Once again, it seemed like Boston was on the verge of a home court collapse.
It was neither Tatum nor Brown that led the way for the Celtics to come out on top in this one. It was Al Horford.
The soon-to-be 38-year-old veteran finished Game 5 against the Cavaliers with 22 points on 6-of-13 shooting from three-point range, 15 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks. He became the first player to ever record at least 10 rebounds, five triples, five assists, and three blocks in a playoff game. Even though the Celtics' stars struggled to find their rhythm, Horford was ready to answer the call for his team.
“It's special. It's special at the Garden. This is something I don't take for granted,” Horford said after the game. “The energy of the fans. Our fans, they love the Celtics. They want us to play hard. They want us to play the right way. And, I just felt very connected with them tonight. The way that we were playing, that we got it going, I felt like there was a connection there, and there was just a few times that I wanted to be embraced by them in those moments.
“That fuels me. That fuels our team. So, it was pretty, pretty special tonight.”
The highlight of Horford's night came with just over one minute remaining in the first half. As the ball was tipped out to the corner near the Celtics' bench by Tatum, it was Horford who came flying over to save the possession, leading to the veteran throwing the ball off of Dean Wade's foot. Although they did not convert on this possession, Horford's energy and willingness to do what it took to win this game resonated with the rest of his teammates.
“Those plays—that was so meaningful,” Tatum stated in his postgame remarks. “Just how he played in the second half on the defensive end, he knocked down big shots time and time again. His performance, his energy, his leadership tonight was crucial.”
The main reason why Horford's performance against Cleveland was so meaningful is due to the fact that Kristaps Porzingis has not played in close to three weeks due to a calf injury. Without him, the Celtics may very well be heading back to Cleveland for Game 6, leading the series 3-2. Horford stepped up in a big way for Boston, resulting in them making it back to the Eastern Conference Finals.
However, questions still remain about whether the Celtics have the mental aptitude that is needed to win a championship. Tatum and Brown have disappeared at times during the postseason through the years, which is why the noise surrounding Boston's apparent struggles has increased. Even with the experience they possess, the main reason why the Celtics find themselves in a different spot this season compared to recent years is because of Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.
The contributions of these two stars have been unmatched. Whereas Holiday provides stability as a primary facilitator and defender, Porzingis has given Boston the extra firepower on offense that they have been lacking. There are obvious concerns surrounding the Celtics' offense without Porzingis, but this team's offensive philosophy still looks flawed.
Celtics' top-rated offense a concern?
The Celtics recorded a 122.2 offensive rating during the regular season, a historically great mark. If Boston lives up to the hype, there is no team remaining in the playoffs that can stop them from their quest to capture a championship. The main problem is that the product seen on the court by the Celtics certainly doesn't correlate to their metrics.
Boston lives and dies by the three-point shot. Not to mention, their offense is so heavily reliant on matchups in one-on-one situations. The Celtics don't move the ball all that well, and they just look to outplay their opponents by dribbling in place before pulling up for a contested jumper. Tatum, Brown, Holiday, Porzingis, and Derrick White are all talented players. In fact, they can all have All-Star cases made for them this season.
The bottom line is that the Celtics don't play a successful brand of basketball on offense. That is why they have failed to reach the NBA Finals in recent years, and it is once again the reason why there is a sense of doubt in the back of Celtics fans' minds entering the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Celtics' idle offense was examined by Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley during TNT's Inside the NBA on Wednesday. Barkley did not hold back his thoughts regarding the way Boston looks to score, calling their style of play the worst he has seen.
“They're the worst offense I've seen for grown folks. It's like they just give the ball to one guy and go one-on-one. They win a lot of games, but they got talent. It's like… what are they doing? It's like, ‘Here Jayson, you get to the top of the key and go one-on-one and shoot a stepback three. Jaylen, you go back there and make a move.' Everybody just stands around. It's frustrating.
“Maybe some things will change when Porzingis comes back, but the way they play offense right now, they can't win a championship like that.”
As good as they have been on offense over the course of the season due to their three-point shooting abilities, the Celtics can be very predictable as well. It is not a coincidence that many of the Celtics' losses during the regular season came against teams that really gave maximum effort defensively. Teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, and Oklahoma City Thunder found success defending Boston because of the Celtics' inability to effectively move the ball around. Looking ahead, the Celtics may have to play the Knicks in order to get to the NBA Finals, where the Timberwolves, Thunder, or Nuggets could possibly be waiting for them.
Porzingis' absence has hurt the Celtics on offense. He can run the two-man game with anyone on the floor, and he is a difference-maker on the perimeter. However, the problems of resorting to “hero ball” late in games and solely looking to attack their opponents in one-on-one situations could wind up being the Celtics' downfall in the playoffs.
Another year in the Eastern Conference Finals presents yet another opportunity for the Celtics to break their playoff curse. Whether or not they are able to do so is dependent on their late-game offensive execution.
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