Hardwood Houdini
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Boston Celtics built to withstand new Warriors super Team

By Joshua Bateman

OAKLAND, CA - JANUARY 27: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Boston Celtics looks to pass the ball by the out stretched arm of Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors during an NBA basketball game at ORACLE Arena on January 27, 2018 in Oakland, California. 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 Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - JANUARY 27: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Boston Celtics looks to pass the ball by the out stretched arm of Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors during an NBA basketball game at ORACLE Arena on January 27, 2018 in Oakland, California. 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 Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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Things may look bleak now, but the Boston Celtics can withstand the dominance of the Golden State Warriors

The Boston Celtics currently find themselves in a odd position with their rebuild. They should be able to truly dominate the East for years, but the Golden State Warriors continue to make it harder to believe that anyone else in the NBA can actually be considered contenders.

There may not be anything the Celtics are capable of doing, that will allow them to match the talent level of the Warriors. From there, you can get the sense that the Warriors are going to waste the championship window of this team, and that is a real possibility.

Fortunately, the Celtics were always built with a long window in mind. First of all, DeMarcus Cousins is a one year rental for the Warriors, so the Celtics can be confident that their core will be able to outlast this most recent addition to that team.

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Taking Cousins away immediately eliminates part of the sense of inevitability. The Celtics still would not have as much talent as the Warriors, but the moment Cousins is gone, it does not feel impossible for the Celtics to win.

The problem, however, is that the Warriors are still in a position to keep everyone else, and that could lead to a lot of Finals loses for this Celtics core. The Celtics still need to do a lot more to prove they can compete with the Warriors without Cousins, but that is within their reach.

The Warriors, however, could run into some problems in the not too distant future. Even if Klay Thompson seems willing to take a pay cut, Draymond Green has made it clear that he will go the other route.

Take into account that Kevin Durant did not sign a long term deal, and there are a lot of ways this team could have part of their core broken up. If that is the case, then the Celtics will absolutely be true contenders.

All they have to do is wrap up Kyrie Irving long term, and the Celtics have a core that will be able to stick together for years, while it will be difficult for the warriors to maintain their dominance that long.

On top of everything, those years could be when the Celtics are their best. Irving and Gordon Hayward are at the beginning of their prime, and if they can maintain that for when both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown enter their prime, the Celtics will reach their highest potential.

Al Horford is probably out of the picture by then, but the Celtics have plenty of young front court options, with good draft picks still to come.

Right now, it is still hard to say any team other than the Warriors are true contenders, but that will not ruin everything he Celtics have done in their rebuild. They have established a potential window that should be able to outlast any top team in the NBA.

This Celtics core should still have years to grow together, and a lot of these players are going to get better. It is easy to let this Warriors team make you feel helpless, and as though there is no point in even attempting to have hope that this core can win.

Next: Pressure still not a factor for the Boston Celtics

The Celtics, however, are in a different kind of position. They will have to put in the work to keep things together, but they are in a position to withstand this Warriors super team, and establish their own era of dominance.

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