The 2017-18 Boston Celtics persevered through significant injury, only to fall just shy of competing for an NBA championship. Here are five reasons why 2018-19 will truly define their future.
The Boston Celtics came within one game of playing for the 2018 NBA championship. There are few who can state that the 2017-18 season for the Boston Celtics was anything less than a pleasant surprise. After the team lost newly signed free agent Gordon Hayward for the 2017-18 campaign, the team ravished the early part of the NBA season.
By the end of November, the Celtics had climbed to 19-4, best in the NBA. At that point in time, everything looked incredibly optimistic for the team, but injury would play a huge role in the team’s fortunes once more. On March 11, point guard Kyrie Irving would be lost for the remainder of the season.
Still, this is a Boston Celtics roster built to compete for an NBA championship. In the wake of Gordon Hayward’s injury, rookie Jayson Tatum stepped up. So too did Terry Rozier when Kyrie Irving fell, playing far better than expected. In both cases, both the team and fanbase expectations descended when forecasting just how far this team could go in post season.
Still, optimism and enthusiasm are emotions that attempt to overshoot the mark. Right now? That Celtics enthusiasm is peaking, and there are some good reasons why. The team displayed remarkable resiliency in absorbing losses. The players showed both great chemistry and a surprising level of maturity for their age and experience. Meanwhile, the fans displayed great patience and trust with a coaching staff and team that had made it to the NBA Playoffs for the past four consecutive seasons.
Still, there are significant differences between the 2017-18 outcomes for the Boston Celtics and the 2018-19 season. Let’s explore five reasons why the 2018-19 campaign will truly define the modern era of this team.