8/12/2023 0 Comments 2018 eastern conference finals![]() It would undoubtedly be one of the most surprising Finals results of all time. Just for the sake of argument, let’s imagine the Celtics were to beat the Warriors. It’s a photo you can put in the scrapbook with “Baby’s First Finals Appearance” Sharpie’d on. If a rookie-led squad of youngsters loses in the Finals to heavy favorites, it’s not a disappointment. James would be fighting for his legacy in the Finals against either team as he looks to put the final notches in a Hall of Fame belt. But even with a loss, the Celtics are well ahead of schedule. There will be some mild disappointment, knowing that perhaps they could have competed if Irving and Hayward were healthy. There barely even seem to be stakes for a Celtics Finals appearance. ![]() And as exciting as the Celtics have been-indeed, they’ve answered every challenge thrown at them this postseason-how can we view them as anything but fatally doomed against the Rockets or Warriors? Any team with LeBron on it seems like it has a fighting chance against any opponent. He came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the 73-win Warriors two years ago. But while LeBron is faltering under the weight of a shoddy roster, we’ve seen him work postseason miracles before. The Rockets and Warriors both seem significantly better than either Eastern team. Part of it is because, in spite of the Cavaliers’ problems, it still feels like they’d be the better matchup in a Finals series. It’s just upsetting to watch a player working as hard as James realize he doesn’t have enough. This isn’t an excuse for LeBron, who honestly should be good enough to beat an inexperienced, depleted roster without significant help. He looks tired, having led the NBA in minutes at the age of 33 in an attempt to carry this roster to glory. LeBron’s teammates are in the midst of a terrible series, and James simply isn’t good enough to prop them up. ![]() “We’ve left George Hill wide open! I hope he doesn’t shoot!” “Oh no!” Marcus Morris is probably being coached to yell. Smith (9-for-39) taking exactly the shots they want to take. The Celtics’ best defensive strategy is often letting Cleveland run the plays it’s trying to run, which results in dudes like Jordan Clarkson (10-for-32 on the series) or J.R. The dysfunction has run high in Cleveland all season, and Boston just seems like it’s exploiting that dysfunction. Wednesday night, Boston shot a dismal 36.5 percent from the field but won by 13. Part of it is because it feels less like the Celtics are winning and more like the Cavaliers are losing. And yet, almost everything about the possibility the Celtics win this series depresses me. ![]() We’ve got a cast of young guns overcoming obstacles to beat a dominant future Hall of Famer! The ingredients are there for sports legend. And, oh yeah-the Celtics are without their two biggest stars, Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, both of whom suffered season-ending injuries. They’re led by a rookie, Jayson Tatum, and a squad of young stars few thought could be pivotal pieces of a conference championship run, and they’re facing an all-time great, LeBron James, who has been to the NBA Finals seven years in a row. Hypothetically, the Celtics should be one of the cooler sports stories in recent memory. Check out The Ringer’s coverage of the 2018 NBA playoffs
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