As fiercely fought as it was, Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals ended with an embrace, with LeBron James hugging Jayson Tatum after the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Boston Celtics 87-79. “I just love everything about the kid. The way he plays the game, his demeanor … He’s just built for stardom,” James said of Tatum after the game.
It was a revealing moment from James, who understood that while he was the main event as usual, the other story from the series was the future of this potential-loaded Celtics team. It wasn’t the passing of a torch – James isn’t retiring anytime soon – but it was a blessing, of sorts.
James normally doesn’t show much love to the Celtics. He once quipped: “You put my mother on the floor, and if she were in a Boston Celtics uniform, I’d break her face.” But this was a different Celtics team than the one we usually see in the playoffs. Ravaged by injuries, these talented but largely untested young players weren’t expected to do much against a Cavaliers team that had just swept the top-seeded Toronto Raptors. When the Celtics stumbled in the fourth quarter of Game 7 it didn’t feel like a collapse though. This Boston team had gone as far as they could.
The Celtics hadn’t planned to be in the postseason as likable underdogs, that’s never really the case in Boston. They had signed Gordon Hayward as a free agent, only to lose him for the year to a horrible ankle injury in the first few minutes of the season. They traded Isaiah Thomas for Kyrie Irving, who was eager to prove that he could succeed as his team’s best player after years of being LeBron’s sidekick in Cleveland. He lived up to his promise too, emerging as a dark horse MVP candidate, before knee surgery ended his hopes of playing in the postseason.
It turns out that the team had more talent than anybody, with the exception of general manager Danny Ainge and head coach Brad Stevens, knew. People forgot that the perennially overlooked Al Horford, their remaining All-Star, spent much of his career as the best player on some very good Atlanta Hawks teams. He reminded everyone of that fact throughout the playoffs.
But ultimately, this Celtics season will be remembered because of the growth of their young players. Tatum, who the Boston Celtics drafted after trading down from the No1 overall pick, was something of an unknown quantity. Especially compared to Markelle Fultz, who the Philadelphia 76ers gladly picked with the first overall selection in the same draft. Months later, when the Celtics beat the 76ers 4-1 in the second-round of the playoffs, Tatum was looking like a future MVP while Fultz was riding the bench.
Celtics fans famously booed Jaylen Brown when he was drafted the year before Tatum, but his maturity has been astonishing both on the court and in interviews. He could become the conscience of the league soon. Perhaps he already is.
Before this year, Terry Rozier was roundly mocked due to Ainge’s reluctance to part with him in any trade. It turns out the GM might have had his reasons as Rozier emerged as an offensive force when fully unleashed. “Scary Terry” ended up being the cult hero of the postseason among Celtics fans (and retired NFL great Drew Bledsoe). Marcus Smart, despite his propensity for the occasional boneheaded play (and injury) has grown into his role as the team’s defensive stalwart.
Behind it all was Stevens, who knew exactly how to put the pieces together. While the head coach deserves all the credit he has received for the job he’s done in Boston, he would be the first to tell you that 90% of his success is due to his talented team. If there was a genius to what he did, it was that he fully recognized the team’s talent and made sure his players did too. The Celtics did not think of themselves as overachievers and they certainly weren’t just “happy to be there.” They thought they could win this year.
That’s good for Stevens’s squad because next year the Celtics will have expectations. Lots of them. With a healthy Irving and Hayward they should be favorites to represent the Eastern Conference in the finals next year, especially if James heads out west. The feelgood story is over. They may not even look the same. Even with their young (ie: relatively inexpensive) core, they may eventually part ways with some of their players. Plus – as Isaiah Thomas learned – Ainge isn’t afraid to trade.
So next year won’t be the same. Which is why Celtics fans should appreciate the season that just came to an end. After all, you only get to witness an origin story once.
