The Boston Celtics took a major step forward last season by winning the Eastern Conference and reaching the NBA Finals, where they lost in six games to the Golden State Warriors.
But simply replicating that performance this season won't be good enough. It's championship or bust as the C's prepare for the 2023 NBA playoffs.
Former Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo offered that reminder Tuesday on ESPN's "First Take" while debating whether it'd be a bigger letdown if Boston or the Milwaukee Bucks failed to reach this year's NBA Finals.
"It's called Titletown. Beantown. They expect to win," Rondo said, disagreeing with Stephen A. Smith's take that it'd be more disappointing if the Bucks fell short in the East. "It's been a very long time since they've hoisted that trophy. So, going back to the Finals last year and getting it done, that's not going to work. We don't hang Eastern Conference banners in Boston."
The man has a point.
The Celtics enter the postseason as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, behind only the Bucks, and certainly have the talent to bring home the Larry O'Brien Trophy. It won't be an easy journey, by any means, especially with Milwaukee again looking formidable two years after winning the NBA Finals. But it's important for Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and company to seal the deal, as it'd go a long way toward cementing their legacies in Boston.
The Celtics haven't won a title since 2008, when Rondo was the point guard for a team that also featured Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, among others.
