BOSTON — The Boston Celtics’ exciting 2016-17 season came to a close Thursday night at TD Garden.
The Cleveland Cavaliers blew out the Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, as LeBron James and Co. coasted to a 135-102 rout and advanced to their third consecutive NBA Finals appearance.
Though the Celtics’ season didn’t end to their liking, the 2016-17 campaign brought a strong sense of optimism for Boston moving forward. After all, the C’s were the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed in the 2017 NBA playoffs and the team owns the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
The Celtics were no match for the Cavaliers this season, but they scratched the surface of becoming a legitimate championship-contending team. The future certainly is bright in Boston, as pointed out by Avery Bradley after Thursday’s game.
“The sky’s the limit for this team if we’re able to keep together our core guys and add some new pieces,” Bradley said. “I feel like Danny Ainge and our entire organization do a great job of putting the right guys together to help us be a contender for a championship.”
While there are no moral victories, it’s hard not to have an optimistic outlook on the Celtics’ future following this season. After back-to-back seasons with first-round postseason exits, the C’s marched farther into the playoffs than they have in five years.
Celtics head coach Brad Stevens didn’t hide from the pain of Thursday night’s loss but understands it was an important step for his team’s overall progression.
“It’s a good step forward as a season as a whole, but I leave with a little bit of a taste my mouth — like not playing as well here, and man, you want to play well here because there is really no place like TD Garden in Boston. When the fans at the end of the game were — man, it’s just amazing. And so, as I told our guys, we made a lot of great strides, but this pain is part of the path to what we ultimately want to be.”
Here are some other notes from Celtics vs. Cavaliers.
— Cleveland and the Golden State Warriors are set to battle in the NBA Finals for a third straight season, while James has reached the championship round in seven consecutive seasons.
— The Celtics finished their 2017 postseason run with a 9-9 overall record. Their 18 playoff games this year are the most they’ve played since a 20-game run in the 2012 playoffs.
— Boston finished the playoffs having made at least 10 3-pointers in 16 of its 18 games.
— Bradley posted a team-high 23 points in Game 5, marking his eighth career playoff game with at least 20 points.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
