Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images
The Celtics were both lucky and good in their run to the NBA Finals.
Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. In the case of the Boston Celtics they’re both lucky and good. There’s no doubt that Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Co. deserve to be headed to the NBA Finals. After all, this is a team that went 64-18 in the regular season, had the best record in the entire league, and showed they have the tenacity in the playoffs to adjust to win several series.
We can praise all this while also admitting that the Celtics got damn lucky when it comes to how the playoffs broke for them. Injuries hit all their opponents at the worst possible time, leaving Boston to pick over the bones of flawed, damaged opponents en route to the NBA Finals.
Celtics vs. Heat (Boston wins 4-1)
This series was defined by the absence of Jimmy Butler. Butler sprained his MCL during the play-in tournament, and was forced to miss the entire series vs. Boston. To Miami’s credit they battled on, but with only Bam Adebayo as an every-night threat there simply wasn’t enough talent to battle the Celtics depth.
At times we saw Tyler Herro step up, Caleb Martin become a factor — but outside of Game 2 this series was just never close. Butler was the Heat’s glue guy, their clutch scorer who could organize the offense and spur runs. Without him the Heat were just a loose conglomeration of good players without a nucleus.
Could a full-strength Heat team have hung with the Celtics for a full series? We’ll never really know.
Celtics vs. Cavaliers (Boston wins 4-1)
Another series, and another major injury. This time it was Cavaliers’ center Jarrett Allen, who missed the entire series with broken ribs. Allen was also out for Cleveland’s opening series against the Magic — which is the biggest reason it took seven games to settle that series.
Losing Allen, the Cavaliers’ best rim defender and a reliable double-double every night, was a mammoth hit to their chances. It allowed Boston to out-rebound the Cavaliers and prevent second chance buckets, while also spreading the floor and allowing Boston to shoot from deep with more impunity.
These problems for the Cavaliers were compounded further when Donovan Mitchell missed the last two games of the series with a knee injury. The second it became clear Mitchell was out, the Cavs were dead in the water. There was no chance to even be competitive without Allen AND Mitchell, allowing the Celtics another easy path through.
Celtics vs. Pacers (Boston wins 4-0)
This brings us to the sweep, and honestly it’s all about Tyrese Haliburton. Banged up beyond belief, Haliburton literally and figuratively limped through the NBA Playoffs like a gashed gladiator, and it was only a matter of time before his body broke down.
Haliburton was finally done after two games against the Celtics, and without Haliburton’s myriad abilities to lead on both ends of the floor things just fell apart. To the Pacers credit, Andrew Nembhard stepped up in a Herculean way — but even a couple of flashy games doesn’t make up for Haliburton’s ability as a clutch scorer, a distributor, and a point guard who can dictate the pace of the game.
It was simply a numbers game for the Celtics when the dust settled. They never needed to get out of second gear against a Pacers team without their top star, and for the third series in a row Boston were blessed with their opponent’s best player being sidelined at the worst possible time.
The Celtics’ matchup in the Finals is looking very good too
We’re on the precipice of the Dallas Mavericks taking on the Celtics in the NBA Finals, and this is a dream match for them. Of all the teams in the West for Boston to face the Mavs are the best for them.
With Denver the Celtics don’t have an answer for Jokic in the middle. With the Wolves there would have been questions whether they could handle both Anthony Edwards’ athleticism on the wing AND manage with deal with KAT in the middle.
Dallas had their entire offense routed through their backcourt with Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, both of whom can score in bunches. However, look at how this matches up: Boston has Jrue Holiday, arguably the best defensive player in the league, who might not be able to lock down Kyrie, but he can certainly slow him down. Then you’ve got Derrick White, another standout defender, who could easily do the same with Luka.
Essentially you have Dallas’ two biggest weapons neutralized before the series begins — while the Mavericks don’t really have great answers for Jason Tatum or Jaylen Brown. P.J. Washington is inconsistent as a defender, and will likely struggle against Tatum. Meanwhile Derrick Jones Jr. is a plus-level defensive player, but that might be a wash against Jaylen Brown.
The stage is set for the Celtics to win the NBA Championship with relative ease. That shouldn’t be seen as a specific knock on them, because sports can be unpredictable like that — but there’s no doubt this team has been blessed with the perfect set or circumstances at the ideal team.
