Despite all the struggles the Celtics have faced and still currently are facing this season, there’s still (at least) one person who believes Boston will make the NBA Finals.
While Skip Bayless is convinced the C’s are an “unfixable mess,” Evan Turner is on the opposite end of the spectrum.
Turner, who spent two seasons with Boston, said he believed the Celtics had a team that could compete against the Golden State Warriors in a seven-game series. And despite the Green being in the midst of an identity crisis, the former Celtics swingman’s mind hasn’t changed.
“Don’t worry, the Celtics are going to be in the Finals,” he told the Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett. “I thought they had a team that, with the type of personnel they have defensively and offensively and the coach, I thought they had a team that can combat the Golden State Warriors over a seven-game series. And at the same time, I still don’t think any difference in a sense. I don’t see any difference.
“Obviously when it comes down to it, playoff basketball’s a way different type of game,” he added. “You’ve got to stare at a Kyrie Irving. You’ve got to stare at a Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and Marcus Morris and Terry Rozier and (Al) Horford. When you’ve got to do that for seven games, along with some great play-calling from Brad (Stevens), I mean, that’s a tough element for another team to get into.”
There’s no denying the Celtics are stacked with talent and they’ve shown they have the ability to match up with teams like the Warriors. But with 20 games remaining in the regular season, Boston quickly will need to turn things around if it wants to make a deep playoff run.
