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Boston Celtics Make Their Own Luck

By Joshua Bateman

May 15, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) looks on during player introductions prior to game seven of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs against the Washington Wizards at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
May 15, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) looks on during player introductions prior to game seven of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs against the Washington Wizards at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /
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There is a reason why the Boston Celtics appear to have luck on their side right now

The Boston Celtics organization woke up Monday morning realizing that the next two days would be the most important days in the Brad Stevens era. Everything was on the line with a game seven followed by a draft lottery, and everything went perfectly. The Celtics validated everything they accomplished this season with an Eastern Conference Finals appearance, and they validated the persisting patience of the front office that has now landed them the number one pick.

The nature of the lottery is meant to incorporate a great degree of luck. In a failing attempt to try and deter teams from tanking, the league wants a certain degree of randomness in the draft order, and the bottom line is that this time the Celtics were the ones to get lucky this time.

Of course, one way of looking at it is that the Celtics would have been the most unlucky to miss out. They had the best odds in the draft, and they get the pick from a team who was the absolute worst in the league from start to finish.

The Celtics needed that luck, but the accomplishments of these last two nights is not a testament to how lucky this organization has been. It is a testament to the incredible work that has been put in across the board. No team has done more to put themselves in a better position. No team has made more decisions to advance their franchise the way the Celtics have, and it has been across the board with the front office, coaches and players.

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The Celtics started this rebuild with a clear long term plan in place. The brilliance of Brad Stevens fast forwarded the regular season success, and it just so happens that the work Ainge did as a GM and the work Stevens has done as a coach, along with a core of players that have fought though and triumphed over every challenge, all hit their current peak on back to back days.

Everything has truly come together for the Celtics. The basketball Gods are clearly smiling down on the Celtics, but this has not been fluke. Timing and chance is one of the most important things in sports, but all they can focus on is what they can control. The Celtics have wasted nothing as they have rebuilt, and have avoided the kind of mistakes that leave teams desperately tanking like the 76ers and the Lakers. For as lucky as anyone can be, the Celtics have earned everything during this rebuild.

It does not need to be said what kind of unique position the Celtics now find themselves in, and their fortunes are at the highest point since the day Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen were brought in. Ainge found the immediate success with that first move, and now he is establishing the kind of long term success that every franchise searches for.

That being said, all this is is the number one pick. Markelle Fultz seems to be a consensus number one sure fire prospect, but we simply do not know. Where the Celtics decide to go with their pick is far more important than the results of the lottery. Then, how they develop and use that pick ends up becoming the only thing that really matters.

The Celtics wound up with the third overall pick in the draft last year and what matters is that they found a player that they truly believe in. This is being touted as the best and deepest draft in a long time, and the Celtics control the fate of this draft.

The real results and the real luck of this lottery night may not be known for years. This is the first step of a long process in an attempt to find a franchise player. In the lottery, the odds were in the Celtics favor, giving them the best possible advantage to get that franchise player, but absolutely nothing is a sure thing, and there are far too many examples of prospects never reaching their hype.

The Celtics put in the work and that is why they are currently playing in the Eastern Conference Finals, while holding onto the number one pick in the draft. The Celtics organization has earned every bit of what has been achieved over the last two days, but that is far from the end game.

Winning that playoff series and getting this top pick are just another two steps in building a true championship franchise. The Celtics pulled luck on their side, and they are in the kind of position that almost any franchise would be envious of, but the work is not done and they know that this is far from a finished product.

Next: Quit Counting the Celtics Out

The standard of greatness in the NBA is not something that can be settled on. The Celtics are about to get a good look at what it actually takes to be a title contending team. Win or lose, the Celtics will be leaving their series against the Cavaliers with a much better idea of what this number one pick has to be if they want to reach their ultimate goal.