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When the Boston Celtics took the court at Madison Square Garden for a win-or-go-home Game 6 contest against the New York Knicks, they knew the deck was stacked against them.
Sure, they had the better seed, began the series with home field advantage, and still had a roster loaded up with All-Stars and World Champions, but they'd just lost their best player, Jayson Tatum, to a season-endng Achilles tear and after stealing a win on their home court, had to take on seemingly the entirity of New York City to make it back home alive.
Fast forward to the end of regulation, and it simply wasn't meant to be: the Celtics lost the game and therefore the series 119-81 and had to accept that this run was officially over, with another championship parade no longer in the cards.
Talking to reporters after the game in what would end up being his final post-game press conference of the season, Derrick White broke down what really stings most about the game: that this 2024-25 Celtics team simply won't be the same next fall when they take the court once more.
“I wanted to get this season back, have the exact same team again,” White admitted. “So, obviously there were some highs and also some lows in the season. But at the moment, it's just kind of down.”
Unfortunately for White, his admission is almost certianly accurate; no NBA team returns the exact same 15 players plus three more two-way players and the Celtics specifically could be in for even more roster reconstruction, what with Tatum set to miss much of, if not all of the forthcomign season, and the team's incredible price tag leading some to believe a retooling could look more like a full-on rebuilt.
While only time will tell what the Celtics look like in the future, one thing is clear: they will not be the same squad leaving Madison Square Garden as the team that takes the court on opening night this fall, something White and his teammates know all too well.
