The Celtics’ playoff results were a disaster. There’s no two ways about it. There’s no way to spin it. That was ugly. And blowing a 3-1 lead to a rival that you’ve owned forever like that was the cherry on top. But as bad and unforgivable as it was, perhaps there is a bit of a silver lining that is becoming clear after round two.
On Sunday, the Knicks went into Philadelphia and blew the Sixers out of the gym, completing a second-round sweep in which New York barely had to break a sweat. On the one hand, this result made the Celtics’ collapse even more frustrating. The Knicks exposed every Philly wart that Boston stubbornly refused to.
Watching this series made it evident just how badly the Cs botched that series, and the way the Knicks poked at obvious weaknesses made it that much more infuriating that Boston did not follow through.
Celtics being exposed will lead to improvement
On the other hand, as frustrating as this was to watch, perhaps it should act as informative. The Knicks are very clearly miles ahead of the Sixers, the team that just knocked out the Celtics. If the Cs had survived, they likely would have suffered a similar fate against this Knicks team, only a round later.
There’s a real chance that they would’ve given the Knicks a decent series, bowing out admirably, and convinced thesmlevs that they were close, and with a fully healthy Jayson Tatum, they’d be just fine.
But losing to Philly like they did forced the front office to come to terms with the fact that this team is far from contending. Based on Brad Stevens’s comments, it sounds like he’s aware that the team has issues and they need personnel upgrades to compete for a title.Â
If the Celtics had stood pat, they may have wasted another season before figuring it out. Now, it feels like there’s a real sense of urgency, and Brad is inclined to go out and make moves that will get the team over the hump sooner than later.
Beating Philly may have created a fool’s gold situation
Brad outlined that the regular season was a bit fluky, saying many teams were tanking, and the Celtics took advantage while struggling against top teams. He likely knew that all along, and maybe he wouldn’t have been fooled, even with a better performance in the playoffs.
But that’s a lot tougher to sell to the fanbase and the rest of the organization. Losing made it easier in a weird way. Nobody is going to complain about Stevens breaking up a team that lost in round two a year ago and round one this season, especially the way they collapsed in each series as large favorites.
Now, there’s some heightened pressure to improve, and also a bit of pressure off of Brad, as he should have freer rein to make big moves. So, as upsetting as this loss was, it may end up being a blessing in disguise. The way the Knicks are playing, they likely would have smoked the Celtics in round two anyway, and with this loss, Stevens may have the motivation he needs to go build another superteam.
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