It’s hard not to feel a little bit demoralized after seeing LeBron James choose the 76ers. Especially for him to do so after the team just knocked off the Celtics and poached Jaylen Brown from the roster. And now, James obviously sees what he likes in Philly and wants to go help them raise a banner for the first time since 1983.
LeBron, JB, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey raising a banner in Philadelphia… talk about a grim thought.
That’s why it’s important to stop the doom-scrolling for a minute, take a step back, and really think about how this is going to impact the Celtics. And honestly, it’s not that bad. There are plenty of ways this could even be a good thing. Here are the five biggest silver linings for Celtics fans in the wake of this new ‘superteam’ being formed in Philadelphia.
1) Celtics fans are already programmed to hate LeBron AND the 76ers
Fans don’t have to adjust their rooting interests in any way. We have been rooting against LeBron from Cleveland to Miami, back to Cleveland, and then in LA. He has always been the face of a hated rival, so why not continue that trend in Philly? If any fans were worried it might be harder to root against the Sixers because of Jaylen, I think we can put that doubt to rest with James in the fold.
2) This could be an unmitigated disaster for Philly
This is still far from a guaranteed contender. Embiid is a massive question mark with his health, and they have no real backup center. Jaylen may want to go in and prove he’s an alpha, which could make things very uncomfortable on the court. James was great last year, but he’s 41 and will bring quite the sideshow with him. They certainly have a talented starting lineup, but this could pretty easily go off the rails and become a glorious hate watch in Boston.
3) The pressure is now squarely on the 76ers to win now at all costs
The Sixers went from a fun team with a chip on their shoulder to one that now needs to make an all-in push to win now in a short window. James has won a title everywhere he has gone, and he expects to do the same in Philly, even referencing it in his decision post. That’s a big ask for a franchise that hasn’t made a conference final in over 25 years. Every eyeball is going to be squarely on Philly, which should be a terrifying thought for them, and should allow the Celtics to operate somewhat under the radar.
4) The Celtics may strike gold with 2031 first-rounder from PG trade
And along with that previous sentiment of Philly being forced to go all-in to win now, that could set them up for a long, ugly rebuild five years from now when Boston controls their unprotected first-round pick in 2031. In a way, the JB trade may have helped Philly land LeBron, but his going there may have made the Boston asset a heck of a lot better.
5) Beating the Sixers is going to be that much sweeter
The best part of all is that the Celtics now have the chance to do the greatest thing possible and stand in the way of this hated Philly team and vanquish LeBron once and for all. Nothing could be better than having the Celtics knock out the Sixers over the next couple of years, stopping James from winning a ring on his final stop, and finally sending him home for good. That’s the dream, and it’s now in play. Time to lock in.
Add us as a preferred source on Google