Given everything that happened in the offseason, there were really only two ways the Boston Celtics' current season could go: They could have laid down, or they could have risen up. Thankfully for the Boston faithful, they rose up.
Jayson Tatum joined coach Mike Krzyzewski on SiriusXM's "Basketball & Beyond with Coach K" last Wednesday and discussed the changes to the Celtics before the season started, including coach Ime Udoka not returning, Robert Williams needing surgery and Danilo Gallinari tearing his ACL.
"It was tough because we lost the finals and the whole summer; everybody is working towards being the best versions of themselves to come back," Tatum said. "We know we got unfinished business it was tough."
Despite all the changes and setbacks, Tatum said a lot could have gone wrong, but the players didn't allow it to happen.
"We could make every excuse to have a slow start. To not have a great season, but we talked about opportunities that don't come around often," he said. "We have a really special team, and we have a special opportunity.
"Everybody was on the same page. We're not going to make excuses. Nobody was going to feel bad for us. We're going to make the most out of our opportunity. It truly made us closer when it could have separated us, but I think it brought everybody closer together."
With only four games remaining in the regular season, the Celtics have faced questions regarding whether or not star Jaylen Brown wants to stay in Boston and if he feels valued in the organization, along with scrutiny from former Celtics players floating theories like a lack of respect for their coach Joe Mazzulla or being too lazy or comfortable at times.
So far, the C's have been able to focus on the task at hand, which is capturing Banner No. 18 for the franchise.
