Brad Stevens is a mastermind. The Boston coach was able to lead his team to within an inch of the Finals without his two most talented guys. A lot of that credit should also go to the players themselves.
Terry Rozier, Jayson Tatum. Al Horford and Jaylen Brown all played out of their minds in the absence of the team’s franchise stars. Their playoff run was eventually halted by the greatness of new Laker, LeBron James, whose departure should only enhance their chances of success in 2018-19.
While James was the major hurdle in the postseason for the Celtics, their regular season saw them experience less resistance. Outside of injuries, Boston’s regular season form was a resounding success.
They were the league’s best defensive team and 2nd best in 3-point percentage (37.7%). The form of their under 25s was phenomenal with Jayson Tatum earmarking himself as a future star. Jaylen Brown showing massive steps forwards on both sides of the floor, and ‘Scary Terry’ was a revelation.
With the news that Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving are both fit and firing, teams in the East will be quivering at the thought of facing a full strength Celtics squad next season. It’ll be a revamped Boston going into 2018-19 and one that could deepen even further if reports of Jamal Crawford heading their way are anything to go by.
After exceeding expectations last season, let’s take a look at 3 goals for the team heading into 2018-19.
Next Up: Goal 3
