Boston Celtics continue to avoid pressure

BOSTON, MA - MAY 13: Injured Boston Celtics Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward and Daniel Theis high five Jaylen Brown (hand at right) as Brown exits the game. The Boston Celtics hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers for Game One of their NBA Eastern Conference Final Playoff series at TD Garden in Boston on May 13, 2018. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MAY 13: Injured Boston Celtics Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward and Daniel Theis high five Jaylen Brown (hand at right) as Brown exits the game. The Boston Celtics hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers for Game One of their NBA Eastern Conference Final Playoff series at TD Garden in Boston on May 13, 2018. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Even at the culmination of their rebuild, the Boston Celtics are avoiding pressure

When the Boston Celtics decided to trade away multiple hall of famers, and give the youngest rookie coach in the NBA his opportunity, expectations were thrown out the window. The Celtics made it clear they were entering a full blown rebuild, taking away any pressure there might be on winning.

The Celtics accelerated their rebuild more than anyone anticipated, but that did not change much for the expectations. Somehow, the Celtics still managed to make the playoffs the last few seasons, and it has been thrilling watching them play with house money the whole time.

When Isaiah Thomas first joined the team, the Celtics went on a run no one saw coming, putting them in a position where everyone thought they should get swept in the first round.

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Then you had their first stint that ended in the Conference Finals. The Celtics had minor pressure in the first few rounds. There would have been quite a bit if disappointment had the Celtics lost tot the Bulls or Wizards, but that still did not put pressure on the franchise.

The Celtics got their playoff wins, and Danny Ainge responded by flipping the entire roster. Even if the players still had to go on the court and perform, those cores were never playing for anything special.

The Celtics knew they still had moves to make, and it they were not true championship contenders, all that mattered was improving the team, rather than capturing some empty playoff wins.

Once last season came around, it finally felt different. The honeymoon was over, because the big three of Gordon Hayward, Kyrie Irving and Al Horford set a new standard, and made it clear that the Celtics would have to deal with some pressure.

Almost immediately into that first game of the season, it all ended. Hayward went down with an injury, and no one thought the Celtics would be able to overcome it. People questioned whether or not the Celtics would be able to get home court, so once again they absolutely shattered any kind of expectations.

By playing so well with their injuries, the Celtics took all the pressure off. It may have been a lot more difficult for them to win, but no one was expecting it, putting them in that familiar position of being underdogs and being able to play as fluid and comfortable as possible.

Come playoff time, when Irving was also lost for the season, most people questioned Boston’s ability to get out of the first round, but they ended up getting past that and man handled the 76ers, who were big favorites.

The Celtics went further and pushed LeBron James further than anyone thought possible with their injuries, so every moment they had on the biggest stage was without that added dimension of pressure.

Throughout the rebuild, the Celtics still have not been in a position of great pressure and, somehow, they are avoiding it again this year, despite being true championship contenders at the culmination of their rebuild.

One thing to keep in mind, is there are degrees of pressure. There will always be a standard and for the Celtics now, it is to blow past the Eastern Conference. There is some pressure there, but it is the least it has been in a long time.

The talent in the East is depleted, there are no teams that should be close to the level of the Celtics, and James is out of the way.

The Celtics finally have to deal with the pressure of being true favorites to make the NBA Finals, and they have one of the easiest paths to the finals we have seen in a long time. Once again, the Celtics have found a way to avoid pressure.

When you add on the situation of the Warriors, even more pressure is taken off. When you assemble a team the way the Celtics have, and put your franchise in that kind of position, there should always be championship pressure.

The Celtics will certainly look at themselves as true contenders, but they still have that underdog aspect, because no one is going to expect any team to even be close to this new Warriors super team.

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The Celtics have easy pressure to make the Finals, and no pressure to do anything more. This team is too good to be in this kind of position, but they once again have plenty of house money to play with, and few expectations to put up any resistance to the Warriors.