A New Dynasty In The Making: The Boston Celtics
January 15, 2018
By: Owen Primeau
The Boston Celtics, are possibly the best basketball team to walk the face of the Earth. The Celtics are known for their dynasty that carried through the 60’s to the late 80’s and now, they have a bright future ahead. The Celtics hold an NBA record of winning 17 championships! Back in the day, they won 10 championships in a row from 1959-69. The Celtics have had some of the best players in the NBA such as Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Paul Pierce and now Kyrie Irving. With a strong run from 2015-2017 with point guard Isaiah Thomas, the Celtics quickly have returned to the top 3 teams in the NBA.
After the Celtics struggled from 2010-2015 when the big 4: Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo left. Lead by Avery Bradley and other average players and a new coach, Brad Stevens, they weren’t really doing much or going anywhere. They finished at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 27-57 record.
From 2015-2017 the Celtics made a huge improvement in their roster by picking up players like Isiah Thomas and Al Horford and drafting players like Jalyn Brown. They had a decent season (48-34 record) taking into consideration the strong Cleveland Cavaliers, run by LeBron James, that took over the East. The next year they made huge improvements and were able to secure the number one spot in the east while making it to the eastern finals facing another strong Cavaliers team. With high hope and home court advantage they fought their best battle but once again ending in a result of a Cleveland Cavaliers versus Golden State Warriors finals.
During the trade season, the Celtics added a top 3 draft pick out of Duke University, Jayson Tatum, the Celtics look good for a possible 2017-18 championship. The fans of Boston having high hopes for star point guard Isaiah Thomas they knew they definitely had a chance. In late August, the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers made a mindblowing trade that no one would ever think Cleveland would make. The Celtics would receive Kyrie Irving whereas the Cavaliers would receive an injured Isaiah Thomas, forward Jae Crowder, rookie center Ante Zizic. The Celtics also gave their 1st round draft pick acquired from the Brooklyn Nets in a previous trade.
There were many positive and negative thoughts and emotions that this trade caused. Kyrie Irving finally got what he wanted, to start his own dynasty without Lebron! On the other hand, Isaiah Thomas was furious about this trade, due to all the hard work he put in and love he had for Boston.
Now with Irving on our team and not to mention picking an All-Star forward Gordon Hayward the Celtics truly looked championship ready. With a strong starting five of Irving, Brown, Tatum, Hayward, and Horford, the Celtics were on path for an amazing season. Playing their first game of the season against the Cavs, they were looking forward to starting off the season with a win. Tragically, Hayward broke his ankle early in the game and the Celtics took a tough loss. Thankfully, that didn’t change much, because the Celtics went on a 16 game win streak.
As the Celtics continue to strive, currently being a top five team in the league, they are having a superb season which may lead to them playing in the finals. The Celtics currently stand in the number 1 in the East with a record of 33-10. Tatum, as a rookie, leads the league with the most 3 pointers. Irving, averaging 24 points a game and 5 assists per game. Hoping for a “speedy” recovery by Hayward to make them just that much better.
In the end this Celtics team is on the road to a new dynasty in the making.
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