The Boston Celtics had a strong 2019-20 campaign, but it unfortunately came to a disappointing end in the Eastern Conference Finals. Celtics president Danny Ainge opened up Thursday morning about the frustrating end to the season, and he pinpointed a specific defeat in the second round that had a lasting effect on Boston.
For Ainge, this was the Celtics' Game 3 loss to the Toronto Raptors in the East Semis:
Ainge on the the Celtics losing to the Heat: "Going in, we felt it was a series we should win. In hindsight, we should have or could have won."
Ainge also said that the loss to the Raptors in Game 3 had a big impact because "We had to scrap hard to finish that series."
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) October 1, 2020
Boston appeared to have that game in the bag, which would have put them up 3-0. Unfortunately for them, OG Anunoby came up with a last-second 3-pointer to steal the victory. The Raptors then pushed the series all the way to a Game 7, which had an unwanted adverse effect for the Celtics in the East Finals against the Miami Heat.
Ainge does make an excellent case here. It could be argued that the Celtics could have ended the series in Game 4 or 5 had Anunoby missed that game-winning heave. Boston would have been fresher entering the East Finals against Miami, and they could have put up a better fight.
There are plenty of what-ifs in Ainge's scenario, so it goes without saying that this is all speculation made in hindsight. Even if the Celtics swept the Raptors in the second round, there's no way to guarantee that they would have fared better in the East Finals.
What cannot be denied right now is that the Celtics will need to go back to the drawing board this offseason. They had another memorable run, and they should build on this momentum for the new season.
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