After Years of Heartbreak, Boston Has Finally Made It

For the past decade, the Boston Celtics have been close to reaching the NBA Finals, but have failed each time. Their young dynamic duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been through plenty of wars together. However, their time together was looking as if the end was looming near. The chances were there for years, but each time was met with despair.

Photo courtesy of of Celtics Instagram

After three months of basketball, the Celtics were 17-19. They were at best going to be a play-in team this season. Their two best players probably couldn’t co-exist well enough to bring a title to Boston. However, a sudden shift occurred that has positioned the Celtics to be on the cusp of a title. There isn’t an exact reason for the change of direction this team presented, but it is a great sight to see. The history of this core and all the twist and turns provide a great modern day story of heartbreak potentially turning into triumph.

one step closer. pic.twitter.com/Pi8sPERhLa

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 31, 2022

The Losses 

Before Jayson Tatum arrived in Boston, the Celtics made a Conference Finals the year prior. The team was led by Isaiah Thomas, but was out with a serious hip injury. That Celtics team stood no chance against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, a rematch was set with the same Cavs team, but the Celtics this team around had a rookie Jayson Tatum to help. A game seven at home was their chance to break through with such a young team. Unfortunately, LeBron was too much to overcome in a win or go home game.

The potential of this team was significant. Within the next few years saw the Boston Celtics make the playoffs, but proceed to lose before the Finals. In the 2020 playoffs, they made it to the Conference Finals once again, but lost to the Miami Heat. They had so many chances, but just couldn’t get over the hump. This season saw them disappoint early on, which led to speculation of a possible breakup of this core.

Shifted Energy

The energy is about to shift

— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) January 31, 2022

Jaylen Brown tweeted that the “energy is about to shift” on January 31st. That was prior to them beating the Miami Heat that night by 30 points. Nobody knew that this was the precursor for what was about to be the best run of Celtics basketball in awhile. This was followed by nine straight wins and a reemergence to the top of the Eastern Conference.

Brown was beginning to find his stride within the team again. First-year head coach, Ime Udoka, was finally connecting with the team. Robert Williams III and Marcus Smart were the anchors of one of the best defenses in the league. Then there was Jayson Tatum; who put together an amazing second half of the regular season, which led to some MVP buzz. Tatum nabbed first team All-NBA honors, while Marcus Smart grabbed the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Photo courtesy of Celtics Instagram

This tweet was dismissed as another NBA player saying watch this and nothing follows. However, this team truly shifted the energy. They went from a team that seemed poised to fight for a play-in spot to one of the best teams in the league within the blink of an eye. The only thought after this successful regular season was if they can achieve the one goal that kept passing them by; make the Finals.

Exercising Their Demons

The Brooklyn Nets have been the most polarizing team of the past two seasons due to their high profile talent, but also their constant knack for being dramatic. Despite the Celtics being the better team all season long, a good portion of NBA pundits believed that the Nets talent was too much to overcome. It was only one year ago where the Nets beat the Celtics in five games in the first-round of the playoffs. However, the Celtics took care of business with ease. They SWEPT Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and the rest of the Nets. Nobody could envision this outcome, but the Celtics took charge and never looked back.

Their next test was another former foe in the Milwaukee Bucks; who they lost to in the 2019 playoffs. This matchup was different though. the Bucks were the defending champions with Giannis Antetokounmpo at his absolute best. It looked like this was the biggest matchup of the playoffs with the winner having a great chance winning the conference crown. It was a tough series, but once again the Celtics prevailed.

The last test were the number one seeded Miami Heat; the same team to beat them in the Conference Finals two years ago. The Celtics were determined to take them out and make that final step. This franchise has tried multiple teams to reach the Finals. Each time was met with failure. This could be their last chance as a unit to make the Finals. The series went to seven games with game seven being played in Miami. The Celtics needed to close out on the road to take all their prior failures and throw them out the window.

That is exactly what the Boston Celtics did. The game was close and tight, but the Celtics won the war. They finally made it through the conferences. Each opponent was a foe from the past and each time the challenge was successful. After the misery and close calls, the Celtics dethroned their demons and are now four wins away from immortality.