The Boston Celtics are not getting proper respect from the media that they deserve for the season they have had
After defeating the Miami Heat on Sunday, the Boston Celtics have put themselves right in the middle of the contention for the top seed in the eastern conference. With the Cleveland Cavaliers struggling to close out the regular season strongly, the Celtics have become the biggest threat to their hold on that half of the league.
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For an organization that was considered a rebuilding team just two years ago, why isn’t this one of the biggest storylines of the NBA season? What I have heard this season are the following quotes.
“The Celtics are good, but I think Washington is Cleveland’s biggest threat.”
“They need another player to even compete with the Cavs.”
“The Celtics would be the worst one-seed ever.”
While there are much more negative quotes out there, these are the one’s that stick out to me. I’m not saying that these aren’t true; the last two are pretty validated. The Washington comparison isn’t justified at all in my opinion, yet that’s all analysts will say when talking about Boston. The thing that speaks to me is the fact that these are the things being said around the NBA about the Celtics instead of positive things.
In a year that has been dominated by stories about “super teams” like Cleveland and Golden State, it would be so easy to promote the team that is seemingly the opposite of that, but still competes with the best teams in the league.
Isaiah Thomas, a 5’9″ guard that was taken with the last pick in the 2011 draft is an MVP candidate. The Celtics defeated both the Cavaliers and Warriors in the same week. They’ve been injured all year but have managed to stay at the top of the standings anyway. This is a GREAT story, and if you aren’t paying close attention, there’s no way you’d think it.
In the 2014-15 season, the Atlanta Hawks were the best team in the eastern conference. They played a style of team oriented basketball, and ended up winning 60 games even though they didn’t have a “superstar” on the roster. They eventually were swept by the Cavaliers, but the Hawks were one of the main stories in the league that year.
The lack of respect that the Celtics are dealing with begs the question of why?
Boston isn’t getting the respect that they deserve because everyone hating on their success is aware of what is coming. The Celtics turned their franchise around in less than two seasons, and are now a legitimate threat in the eastern conference. They have room to add a max contract this summer, and also have two first round picks from the worst team in the NBA. The Celtics are a dynasty in the making, and the rest of the league, the media, and fans of the game all know it.
Nobody wants to see the Celtics fulfill their potential, because it would be a dominating run that could result in multiple championships. When people are scared, they try to defuse the thing they’re scared of in hopes that it goes away.
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The more the Celtics get disrespected, the more the chip on their shoulder grows. That’s fine with me then, since this team plays much better when they have something to prove. Keep thinking that the Celtics aren’t for real, but don’t be surprised when they take out a top team.