For most basketball observers the Boston Celtics are the most unlikely of contenders to win a title. However, one historic championship run tells a different story.
The 2016-17 Boston Celtics have exceeded most expectations. They were expected to maybe crack the top four. Instead, Boston is first in the East with one game to go.
Yet it is still hard for the Celtics to get respect as a valid challenger. Expectations are that the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors will meet in an unprecedented third straight NBA Finals series. For the optics, that might be the series to see. But thankfully, this is real life, not a movie.
The San Antonio Spurs have been touted as the only team that may disrupt the Finals three-peat. Some consider the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors ahead of Boston in postseason expectations. However, the rugged and resilient Celtics are the perfect rascals to poop any party.
Celtics play this season makes them a very valid threat to the status quo. At least, when they’ve been consistent. They are sure to ruffle more than a few feathers and end the streak of two first round exits. What hardly anyone is considering, however, is that the Boston Celtics will win it all. Unlikely? Fair enough. Possible? Very much so! The rationale? The 2003-04 Detroit Pistons.
The Pistons that season were a motley crew of NBA travelers thrown together as a unit. Chauncey Billups, drafted by the Celtics, was on his fifth NBA team in seven years. The undrafted Ben Wallace was on his third team. NBA misfit and future Celtic, Rasheed Wallace was on this third team that season and his fourth overall. Richard Hamilton was on his second team and Tayshaun Prince was just in his second season.
A lot of parallels can be drawn with the current Celtics roster. Isaiah Thomas was one pick away from being undrafted. He bounced from the Sacramento Kings to the Phoenix Suns before settling in Boston. Al Horford is starting over in Boston after nine seasons with the Atlanta Hawks. Jae Crowder was surplus to the Dallas Mavericks‘ requirements and was shipped to Boston. Amir Johnson was drafted by the Pistons and stopped in Toronto before becoming a Celtic. Avery Bradley is the mainstay on the squad.
Minus the situational similarities, team roles are complimentary as well. Billups was Mr. Big Shot while Thomas is Mr. Fourth Quarter. Horford possesses an inside-outside game similar to Rasheed Wallace’s. Prince was a solid defender with three-point range, like Crowder. Ben Wallace was a pitbull on defense just like Bradley. Hamilton’s scoring relief is the same mandate Johnson has on the boards.
Elden Campbell, Mehmet Okur, Corliss Williamson and Lindsey Hunter were the key bench players. Tyler Zeller, Kelly Olynyk, Jonas Jerebko and Marcus Smart highlight Boston’s second unit. Similarly, both are teams more sum-of-all-parts than anchored by a super duper duper star. Well, the argument can be made for IT now but like Billups, it took a monster season to earn it.
The Pistons finished with the third seed in the East. The Indiana Pacers were the favorites and the New Jersey Nets (now Brooklyn) were reigning East Champs. Out West, the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers, Spurs and Kings were title contenders as well. There was a pecking order and Detroit featured further down the line.
Instead, Detroit beat the Milwaukee Bucks, Nets and Pacers on the road to the Finals. They matched up against the Lakers who were title favorites. The Lakers roster featured Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone and Gary Payton. Most predicted a Los Angeles sweep. However, after a five game series, the Detroit Pistons were the unlikely NBA Champions in 2004. Few, if any, saw it coming.
This is the situation the 2016/17 Boston Celtics are in. At least, very similar. The Celtics are top in the East and it’s not a fluke. It’s by hard work, dedication and team chemistry. Still, it’s hard to shake the notion that they’re not given their due as a viable threat. A consistent, cohesive attack that ends in a parade through the streets of Boston might be the only way to convince non-believers.
If the Playoffs started today, the Celtics’ road to the Finals would look like this:
Round One: Chicago Bulls
Round Two: Washington Wizards/Atlanta Hawks
Eastern Conference Finals: Cleveland Cavaliers/Toronto Raptors
And more likely than not, this would end up in a Finals series against the Golden State Warriors. Their roster includes Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. Oh, let’s not forget Andre Iguodala. Look familiar?
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It’s like Marvel’s Avengers versus Sylvester Stallone’s Expendables. The end result should be a forgone conclusion. Just like it should have been in 2004. But it seems Chauncey Billups and the Pistons weren’t listening. The way the Celtics have played this season, it’s not misplaced to think that they’re hard of hearing too.
Let’s go Celtics!