Four pitfalls that Celtics must avoid in quest to defend title

Four pitfalls that Celtics must avoid in quest to defend title originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Welcome to basketball’s summer doldrums.

We were spoiled with basically 10+ months of nonstop Celtics news spanning from the Jrue Holiday acquisition in late September 2023 to Boston’s Team USA trio securing gold in Paris. Now we’ll likely see a 45-day downshift (though the sale of the team will continue to be a talking point until a new owner is determined) before the Celtics reconvene for a title defense.

Before we start looking ahead, a few quick thoughts on how things played out for Boston’s Olympic trio:

We expected Jayson Tatum to have a diminished role compared to 2021 given the veteran star power on the 2024 squad, but obviously it had to be a frustrating experience for him with two DNPs and a limited overall role. Steve Kerr might have taken the Villain No. 1 baton from Kyrie Irving this summer and will get an earful when the Golden State Warriors visit TD Garden this season. But the bottom line is this: Tatum is now a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and when they talk about his resume, no one is going to sit there and nitpick his role on the 2024 squad.

That said, if Team USA disrespect fuels both Tatum and teammate Jaylen Brown as Boston launches into its title defense, then maybe some good can come of both players’ summer frustrations. Team USA may have inadvertently poked a pair of champions and the rest of the NBA might suffer because of it.

It’s nice that a universal stage got to see why Derrick White and Jrue Holiday are so important to the Celtics’ success. Boston is so very lucky to have two unselfish, defense-first guards who simply yearn to win and make all the right plays. Now they’ve both got gold medals and a shiny gold trophy to prove it.

Before the Celtics headed into this very brief hibernation, we were asked to compile a list of the biggest challenges the team will face next season. This isn’t meant to be a negative task. We expect the Celtics to be back in the Finals next season. But we decided to rank the biggest potential pitfalls on the quest back to that title…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/four-pitfalls-celtics-must-avoid-135933863.html

Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2024-08-12 13:59:33

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