The Boston Celtics of this past season were nothing short of a mess, and it’s clear the sky-high expectations both from the outside and within played a pretty big role.
And Danny Ainge shared a story that underscores just how highly the Celtics thought of themselves.
While appearing on “The Michael Holley Podcast” on NBC Sports Boston, Ainge, the team’s president of basketball operations, revealed a question he was asked by Brown in the team’s lunchroom.
“He came and sat behind me, and he said, ‘Do you think we’re as good as the 1986 Celtics team?'” Ainge said. “And I went, ‘Oh my gosh. He’s so young.'”
Hopefully Brown was joking because if not, oof.
Of course, prior to last season Brown also declared he would have five rings by the time he’s 28 (he was 21 at the time of the interview), so insane remarks appear to have been a pattern.
For reference: The 1985-86 Celtics won the NBA title after going 67-15 in the regular season. The 2018-19 Celtics went 49-33 and were bounced by the Milwaukee Bucks in five games in the second round.
