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Ten can’t-miss stops on the Celtics’ upcoming revenge tour originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Winning an NBA championship was supposed to silence the doubters, but it has instead fueled them.
The Celtics may be favored to repeat, but that doesn’t mean they were treated to a coronation. Quite the contrary, July and August brought incoming flak from virtually every direction, some of it highly public (insert Olympic theme music), some heavily implied (insert Knicks theme music).
With the opener less than two weeks away, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Co. should have no shortage of motivation. Let’s run through the 10 people/opponents/destinations that should carry just a little extra juice.
1. Steve Kerr
First matchup: Nov. 6 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston
This has only a little to do with the new-look Warriors and everything to do with their coach. He resided at the center of all controversies Celtics, first for his part in leaving Brown off the Team USA roster not once but twice, and then for benching Tatum for reasons that even he couldn’t explain, except to say he’s an idiot.
Kerr’s Warriors should prepare to reap the whirlwind. While the Celtics remain firmly in their collective prime, the Warriors are a team in transition. The incomparable Steph Curry turns 37 in March and is entering his 16th season. Klay Thompson is gone, Draymond Green is diminished, and the Dubs will probably be a play-in team at best.
Remember last season’s 52-point beatdown in Boston? That was nothing.
2. Kendrick Perkins’ house
Perk lives in Texas, right? When the Celtics visit Houston, Brown should detour the team bus and recreate his viral drive-by dunk of 2017, even if it means stealing the ball from one of the former Celtics big man’s children and shattering his backboard.
Extreme? I mean, have you heard Perk? Even those of us who make a living manning the hot-take hibachi think he’s losing it. Joe Mazzulla is a birdbrain? No one fears the Celtics? He’s sick of Jayson Tatum?
While it’s easy to dismiss the heated rhetoric as Perkins giving ESPN what it wants, it’s also true that he renders his opinions pretty convincingly….
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ten-cant-miss-stops-celtics-165659434.html
Author : NBC Sports Boston
Publish date : 2024-10-10 16:56:59
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