Boston Celtics: Despite Game 7 loss, the 2017-18 season was a success
The Boston Celtics’ 2017-18 season came to an end after a Game 7 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Despite losing, the Celtics had a successful year.
The Boston Celtics were the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference for the majority of the season. It wasn’t until later that we saw the Toronto Raptors overtake them for the No. 1 spot. The Celtics did finish the season as the second seed though, and were able to come within one game of reaching the NBA Finals.
Looking back at how far the Celtics came this season, it’s easy to see why the year was such a success. Not only was Brad Stevens a wizard, but he made the impossible look easy.
The Celtics’ identity was their defense. They led the NBA in defensive rating for practically the entire season. A rating of 101.5 is something to hang your hat on. That rating did slip towards the end of the year, but a large part of that was because of the injuries the team saw.
The major injuries this team suffered came in the form of two of its best three players, Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving. Hayward came over in free agency as their marquee signing. Minutes into the first game of the season, he suffered one of the most gruesome injuries you’ll ever see on TV.
It appears that he’s doing well in his rehab and more than likely should be ready for the start of the 2018-19 season. We heard countless teases of whether he would come back at some point during the regular season. It was for the best that he waited, because hopefully he will be 100 percent next season.
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Irving had some lagging knee injuries throughout the season and just when things seemed to be healing up, he was hit with knee surgery that sidelined him for the rest of the season. The Celtics saw a lot of injuries, some longer than others.
When you think about it, with all the injuries, the fact that they made it to Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals is pretty amazing. Stevens doled out major minutes to young and inexperienced players like Terry Rozier, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Daniel Theis, and they still found that much success.
There’s a lot to like from that core that includes Al Horford and Marcus Morris, but did anyone really expect them to make it that far? A lot of people wrote them off in the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks. When you look at the Celtics’ roster, you see the amazing potential.
Tatum most likely won’t win Rookie of the Year, but he had a season that was worth winning the award. Brown progressed a lot in his second season and could be on his way to a Most Improved Player of the Year award down the road. Irving is still young and in his prime, and the same can be said about Hayward.
Smart might not be with the team next season, but he and Rozier are still very young. Mix that in with plenty of assets in the draft over the next few years and you’re looking at a potential dynasty. This run late in the playoffs only fuels the young guns as to what it feels like to win. They are just gaining valuable experience.
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If this season showed us anything, it’s that the Celtics went through a lot of adversity to get through where they are today. Next season looks like it’ll be even more special. The future is bright in Boston and this is just the beginning.