Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck didn’t believe his team was a championship contender before the season began. And even with a hot start, he’s still not convinced.
Grousbeck originally made the claim while appearing on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Felger and Mazz.” Plenty has happened the first 22 games of the season for the 18-4 Celtics, but the C’s owner doubled down on the statement Thursday.
“Yeah, I’m not going to change that (belief), especially (after) losing an All-Star,” Grousbeck told host Michael Felger.
When pressed further by Felger if the solid start made any difference, Grousbeck danced around the question a bit before ultimately clarifying his stance.
“I think we’re in a mix of really good teams, we’re playing well, but there’s another step to take,” Grousbeck said. “We’ve got to get to the finals before I’ll say we’re a contender. We’re not there, we didn’t even get to the finals last year.
“I love where we are, and that’s why we play the games. We’re a quarter of the season down, and let’s talk (about being a contender) later.”
Most of his sentiments are likely an attempt at trying to quell all the hype around the Celtics, particularly to dispute the potential notion that their performance will stay this consistent throughout the duration of the season.
In any event, keeping things tempered and not putting the proverbial cart before the horse will provide him some recourse when the time comes that the Celtics eventually hit a dry spell.
