Boston falls to the King again, but reaps the benefits this time around

BOSTON, MA - MAY 23: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts in the second half against the Boston Celtics during Game Five of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 23, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MAY 23: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts in the second half against the Boston Celtics during Game Five of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 23, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The Boston Celtics suffered a frustrating game seven loss, but understand how bright the future is going to be.

Who would have thought that an incredibly young team playing without their two superstars in the Playoffs would have come one game within punching their ticket to the NBA Finals?

Who would have thought that a 20 year old rookie would have been one of the most impactful players for that young team? Who would have thought that one of the greatest basketball players of all time would have had to post back-to-back Herculean performances in order to beat that young team?

No one. The easy answer is that very little to no people would have believed any of this accomplishments were possible for such a young and inexperienced team. The Boston Celtics proved to the world this year that they are going to be a team that will consistently return to the deep postseason for years to come.

With great young talent like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier proving their worth this season along with returning stars like Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, the Celtics’ future seems endless.

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Think about the fact that they almost ended LeBron James’ NBA Finals-streak last night. Think about how the Toronto Raptors couldn’t even manage to win a single game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and Boston took the first two games at home. It’s little victories like those that proved that the Celtics were still one of the best teams in the entire league despite being so young and injured.

While their season comes to a close after last night’s loss to Cleveland, the young Celtics have to look toward the positives rather than ponder what went wrong in Game 7. On the bright side for Boston, they most likely avoided an embarrassing series against the Houston Rockets or Golden State Warriors (depending on tonight’s outcome).

With the King literally carrying the Cavaliers throughout the regular season and Playoffs, they’ll most likely get crushed against one of the possible two teams.

Also, with Hayward and Irving returning next season, the ceiling for Boston just got a lot higher. Their young talent will return as well as their coach of the year candidate in Brad Stevens. With so many factors beginning to line up for the Celtics, they should have no regrets about their 2017-2018 campaign.

Next: Boston Celtics fall in game 7

Boston exceeded expectations by a mile this season, and it looks like things like that will only continue and improve in the TD Garden for many years to come.