With Game 7 coming up on Monday night, the Boston Celtics find themselves in a win or go home situation.
Obviously, it would be great to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, but what if Boston is unable to pull off the Game 7 win at home? Would their season be considered a disappointment?
Not at all, actually. In fact, the Celtics have done a lot more than what most people thought they would accomplish.
Isaiah Thomas and Brad Stevens have led this team to the top seed in the Eastern Conference, over a team led by LeBron James, which is impressive in itself for a team who you could still consider rebuilding.
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Normally, having a 1-seed lose before the Conference Finals is a disappointment, and that’s no different with Boston. But a loss is a lot easier to take when you know your team also has the best odds of getting the top pick in the draft.
Thanks to Danny Ainge’s dealing and the Brooklyn Nets’ worst record in the NBA, the Celtics are sitting in a very good position going forward. Even if Boston isn’t able to land the top spot in the draft lottery, they still have a 64.3% chance at a top-3 pick, and in this draft class, it’s not much of a downgrade at all.
There’s always the possibility of a trade as well. The closer we get to the draft, the more the rumors of possible trade scenarios will come up and intensify. With obvious names like Paul George and Jimmy Butler, there’s no telling what the Celtics can pull off before the start of next season.
Not to mention that the Celtics have the ability to go out and sign another big name free agent to go along with Thomas and their upcoming draft pick. With players like Blake Griffin and Gordon Hayward on the market, Boston has some good options to choose from.
We all want to see the Celtics get a crack at the Cavaliers. But if for some reason if Boston isn’t able to get it done Monday night at home in Game 7 against the Wizards, there is still a lot more to look forward to.
The Celtics also have seen a lot of promise in their 3rd pick in 2016, Jaylen Brown. With an arsenal stocked with assets, Ainge has room to pull off just about any trade.
Monday and Tuesday are big days for the Boston Celtics franchise. Monday, the Celtics will compete in a huge Game 7 against the Wizards at the TD Garden in hopes to clinch an Eastern Conference Finals berth. Tuesday will determine the fate of the Celtics’ 2017 NBA Draft in what will hopefully be the start of a promising future for them.
No matter the outcome of the playoffs, the Celtics have had a remarkable season that has shown plenty of promise for years to come, and it might only get better.