For much of the NBA season, many thought the Boston Celtics were the favorites to win the World Series.
They had a 57-25 record, one win shy of the best record in the league, and were second in both offensive and defensive rankings.
After the Celtics lost in the NBA Finals last season, many thought they would be on a mission to win their 18th title this year.
But now they are trailing in the Eastern Conference Finals, 3-0, to the Miami Heat after losing their first two games at home, and then being blown away in Game 3 on Sunday.
Reserve goalkeeper Malcolm Brogdon said the team had trouble maintaining its identity throughout the season.
Boston’s identity “diminished throughout the season,” says Malcolm Brogdon. Playing with a consistent team like Miami, he said, caused the Celtics real problems.
– TimBontemps May 22, 2023
It’s an axiom in all sports that if a team has no identity, it won’t win anything of consequence.
Last season, when Boston won it all, they seemed to have a strong identity.
They won on defense (they were #1 in the defensive rankings last season), slowed the pace and kept the goals low, and had a style and an unwavering identity to stick with.
Another concern this time around is the troubling lack of a fight for the Celtics.
They trailed far behind in Game 3 in the first half, but then dug themselves an even deeper hole, trailing by as many as 33 points at one point.
Many felt that the Celtics had simply quit.
Celtics teams of decades past that were title contenders—from the Bill Russell era to the “Big Four” era of the late 2000s—would have fought hard to the bitter end in this sort of situation, a replication this year simply lacks.
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The Celtics dropped a sad video after losing Game 3