The 2018-19 season was supposed to belong to the Boston Celtics. They were coming off a 55-27 campaign and had just made it to the Eastern Conference Finals without All-Stars Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving healthy.
But, even with Hayward and Irving back to playing at least 67 games apiece, the C's lost their way. They were handled by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round of the playoffs and Irving then took off in free agency.
So, where'd it all go wrong for the potential contenders?
According to Gordon Hayward, his Celtics failed to focus on the main thing: winning a championship. He explained his outlook on the 2018-19 squad to Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George, via Podcast P, Presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment.
“In my eyes, we all had too many agendas, and the agenda to win the whole thing wasn’t the main one,” Hayward admitted. “Not to blame anyone either, 'cause I think it was all human nature. I'm coming back from where the last season that I played I was an All-Star, so I'm trying to prove that I'm still an All-Star. Kyrie was hurt the year before too, [and the Celtics] didn't miss the playoffs, so he's trying to prove this is still his team.”
Ultimately, Boston had tons of talent that season but only one ball to share with everybody. As a result, the Celtics traded scorer Terry Rozier to the Charlotte Hornets in the summer of 2019 and then sent Hayward to the same team in 2020.
These moves put the future of the C's squarely on the shoulders of stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. So far, that gamble has worked out well for the Celtics, as they're currently 26-6 and in first place in the Eastern Conference.
However, Boston is still thirsting for its first championship in over 15 years. If Tatum, Brown, and the rest of the 2023-24 roster can deliver a title, the woes of the 2018-19 Celtics will be forgotten.
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