The Celtics completed a gentleman’s sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday at TD Garden, securing another five-game series victory to clinch a spot in the 2024 Eastern Conference finals.
Boston just never quite looked as dominant as you’d expect.
The C’s had their fair share of struggles against the Cavs, hobbling through the majority of the series’ final two games despite Donovan Mitchell being glued to Cleveland’s bench. It was far from perfect, but Boston displayed exactly what makes it so great in finding a way to get the job done and get some rest ahead of its next series.
That begs the question: How can you be both “far from perfect” and “great” at the same time?
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The Celtics were kind of snubbed from the 2024 NBA Awards, and the reasoning was fairly clear. Jayson Tatum placed fifth in MVP voting because the roster was too talented. Joe Mazzulla didn’t win Coach of the Year because the roster was too talented. Brad Stevens did win Executive of the Year, because the roster he built was so damn talented.
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Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Al Horford are the faces of the NBA’s latest superteam, but they’ve met more criticism for it than anything.
If they’re so great, why did they struggle at points in the Cavaliers series?
On the surface, it’s a valid question, but it also kind of misses the point. The Celtics are so great because they’ve avoided allowing individual struggles to hurt the team.
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Horford’s performance in Game 5 on Wednesday was the perfect example. Tatum and Brown combined for 17 points in the first half, which is fine, but it’s not exactly awe-inspiring. Holiday didn’t score at all, so the C’s entered halftime with just a six-point lead.
Horford, turning back the clock over a decade, had his best performance of the season. The soon-to-be 38-year-old made postseason history, becoming the first player ever to score 20 or more points, collect 15 or more rebounds, block three or more shots and make at least five threes. Did we mention he’s an old man?
If it wasn’t Horford in this series, it was Tatum, or White, or Holiday, or Brown. If it’s none of them next series, perhaps it’s the potentially returning Porzingis.
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The Celtics are unbelievably talented, so as long as someone is getting the job done, they should be all right. Boston will reach a point where it needs to be firing on all cylinders but hasn’t needed to thus far.
Tatum, Brown, White, Holiday, Horford and Porzingis, along with all the others, will cross that bridge when they get there.
Featured image via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
