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The Boston Celtics are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers as the winningest franchise in NBA history. Both teams have won 17 NBA Championships, even though five of the Lakers titles actually came when the franchise was still in Minneapolis. So technically, the Los Angeles Lakers only have 12 titles. But most people still count those. The Celtics have been so close over the last decade plus to adding their 18th title, but have been unable to get over the hump.
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They lost Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals to the Lakers, in a game tightly contested, 83-79. Since then, Boston has reached the Eastern Conference Finals four times. They lost all four series.
Most recently, in 2020 they lost to the Miami Heat in the COVID-shortened season. That year, the Celtics superstars were still a little too young and did not possess the needed experience to beat the league's best teams. That's no longer the case.
So, let's delve into the three reasons the Boston Celtics will reach and win the 2022 NBA Finals, capturing their 18th franchise title.
3 Reasons the Celtics Will Make and Win the 2022 NBA Championship
3. ELITE TEAM DEFENSE
The Boston Celtics were considered the biggest disappointment in the NBA as recently as Christmas. They were well below .500 and out of the playoff picture. People were calling for coach Ime Udoka's firing. Pundits were claiming that Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown could not play together. Not just any pundits, reporters from some of the biggest sports outlets. They were wrong, very, very wrong.
All the Celtics have done is win 22 of the team's last 26 games. They are the hottest team in the league and are now tied with the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks for the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
The biggest change has been on defense. For the season, Boston has the best defensive efficiency, barely ahead of the Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors. But that takes into account all of the terrible play the first two months. Since the Celtics turned things around, it's not even close.
Since the calendar flipped to 2022, Boston has a defensive rating of 100.4. That's four points ahead of the second best mark held by the Dallas Mavericks, with the Suns behind them.
Boston has the ability to switch every pick and roll. Their big men move their feet extremely well, with Robert Williams and the ageless wonder Al Horford both having very good years.
On top of that, Boston possesses two of the best on-ball defenders in all of basketball in Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown.
Everyone knows that when the NBA playoffs come around, the game slows down. Referees swallow their whistles a bit more. Games are not nearly as high-scoring and a good defense is essential. There is no better defense than Boston's.
2. BOSTON IS BATTLE-TESTED VS GOOD TEAMS
The Celtics are not only the hottest team in the league, they are really good against the best competition. As recently as March 6th, they were the only team in the eastern conference with a winning record against teams with a winning record, at 16-14. Since then, the Celtics are 4-1 vs winning teams, with victories over the Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets.
The only one of those games that was close was against Brooklyn. It was in Boston, so the Nets had both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The Celtics are now 20-15 vs. teams with winning records, easily the best in the east.
1. CELTICS HAVE BATMAN AND ROBIN
The primary reason the Celtics will reach and win the 2022 NBA Finals is the emergence of the duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Both players individually have been really good for a couple of seasons. But this season, they have really grown up together.
Earlier this season when Boston was struggling, there was a lot of chatter that the Celtics needed to trade one of them. All of that talk has obviously been put to rest. Now, they are the reason the Celtics are considered legitimate title contenders.
Tatum has ascended to one of the best players in the NBA. He isn't getting the notoriety that some other young superstars like Trae Young or Ja Morant. But unlike those guys, he plays defense and does so at a high level. Tatum is averaging 27 points, over eight rebounds and four assists per game, with over a steal per game to his credit also.
Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown has worked extremely hard to become a more efficient scorer. When he entered the league, the knock on him was that he couldn't shoot. He was a slasher that played amazing defense. This season, Brown is shooting over 46 percent from the field and knocking down 2.5 triples per game, while dropping 23 points per game overall.
It's no wonder the Celtics have said all along both of these players are untouchable. They are 24 and 25 years old respectively. Both the present and future is bright in Boston.
