Draymond Green Dishes Harsh Truth To Celtics After Series Win

The Celtics on Wednesday night became the NBA's first team to advance to the conference finals stage.

Draymond Green wasn't impressed.

Boston wrapped up its second-round series with the Cleveland Cavaliers by earning a 113-98 Game 5 win at TD Garden. The victory prompted TNT's Kenny Smith to point out that Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been the league's most successful duo over the last five years, a span that saw the Celtics reach four Eastern Conference finals.

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Green didn't disagree with Smith's take, but at this point, he needs to see more from the star-studded C's.

"While that's true, no one cares," Green said on TNT, as transcribed by Basketball Network. "They are at that point now where they need to win a championship. Getting to the conference finals don't matter anymore."

Green added: "...No one wants to see you win in the regular season, get to the conference finals, and then not finish the job. This is good. Obviously, it's a step on the way but no one cares that they're going back to the Eastern Conference finals."

As much as it might pain Celtics fans to admit it, Green is right. Boston has everything it needs to win a championship, from the roster to the postseason experience and favorable path. The C's flirted with the Larry O'Brien Trophy in years past, and after a few near-misses, it's time for Tatum, Brown and company to bring the hardware back to Causeway Street.

But first, the Celtics need to win the East. Boston will compete with either the Indiana Pacers or the New York Knicks for the conference crown.