After ending the regular season with the best record in the NBA at 64-18, the Boston Celtics look like a strong contending team to win the NBA championship. To put their record into perspective, the New York Knicks, the team in second place in the East, had 14 more losses than the Celtics.
The Celtics have made the Eastern Conference finals in 3 out of the last 4 years, but have struggled to get over the hump and win a championship. However, the 2024 Boston Celtics have what it takes to get over the hump with the perfect mix of talent and experience.
In 2022, the Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in the NBA championship. The Celtics are two years older, more experienced, and more prepared; not to mention the two new key players they have added to their roster: Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.
Porzingis stands at 7’2” averaging 20 points per game and 2 blocks while shooting a ridiculous 52% from the field. Jrue Holiday, on the other hand, averages 13 points and 5 assists per game while being tasked with guarding the opposing team’s best player.
After speaking with recently named high school basketball all-star Justin McCafferty, he shared a unique insight on the Celtics playoff push: “The Celtics are going to win the NBA championship and the only team who could get in the way of that would be the Denver Nuggets because of Nikola Jokic”.
As McCafferty said, the defending champion Denver Nuggets look to be the Celtics’ strongest competition ending the regular season with a record of 57-25. Former back-to-back MVP, Nikola Jokic, is a versatile center who averages 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists per game. He is going to give any team trouble, but if anyone can guard him it’s the Celtics’ new weapon Kristaps Porzingis standing at 7 ‘2″.
When asked about Celtics coach Joe Mazulla, diehard Miami Heat fan Daksh Dalal stated, “The only reason the Miami Heat are even competitive in the series against the Celtics is because of Mazulla’s inexperience.”
While Mazulla is relatively inexperienced, he is now in his 2nd year and has learned a lot through his ups and downs as a coach. In Mazulla’s first year, he helped the Celtics reach Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals and is determined to get over the hump. When McCafferty was asked about Mazulla’s ability to coach a championship-level team, McCafferty stated, “He’s been here before. He knows what it takes, and while some people see Mazulla as inexperienced, I see him as a coach with youth and energy.”
Personally, I couldn’t agree with McCafferty more. While it is true Mazulla is the youngest coach in the NBA, meaning he is slightly inexperienced, it also allows him to relate to his players; something very few other coaches can do.
One of the biggest problems for the Celtics in the past few years has been their doubt in their chances of winning a championship. But this year, Celtics star Jayson Tatum and the rest of the Celtics clearly have high levels of confidence: “I’m positive that we got the right group that will buy in, and just try to coast our way to the finals” Tatum stated.
In summary, the Celtics have been on the cusp of winning the NBA championship for many years, and with their new additions they have the perfect roster of experience and youth making them the clear favorite to win the NBA finals.
