The Boston Celtics are in the NBA Finals, and while it doesn't really matter how they got there, the impression that they breezed through the Eastern Conference has been a big talking point on sports programming in recent weeks. And that's not entirely untrue.
They overcame a brief crisis in the season opener against the Miami Heat, with Jimmy Butler injured, did the same in the semifinals against the Cleveland Cavaliers with Donovan Mitchell watching from the bench, and delivered a final blow to a Tyrese Haliburton-less Indiana Pacers on Monday night. There's no doubt their journey could have been much more difficult.
But there are two things to keep in mind. The first is that it absolutely doesn't matter how a team got there. If the Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks or the historic Minnesota Timberwolves, no one will remember or care about the luck they got along the way. There will be no asterisks in Basketball-Reference or any other record collection. The 24/7 discussion cycle needs to be constantly fueled, but it's especially unnatural to downplay a team's accomplishments when they make the playoffs and the whole story isn't complete.
The second thing to note is that Boston earned the No. 1 seed by winning seven more regular season games than any other team in the league, a position the Celtics earned through months of great play. They play flawed teams because they have convinced themselves they will play flawed teams.
They also aren't the only team in the Eastern Conference to enjoy injury luck: New York lost Joel Embiid in their series against the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Pacers didn't have to deal with Giannis Antetokounmpo in their season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks. Injuries are part of sports, and avoiding big costs when it matters most has been the secret to countless title-winning teams.
Even if one wants to discard the above thoughts and hold to the belief that the lack of challenges is indeed the problem, the idea that Boston hasn't faced significant challenges is no longer true, as the Pacers proved themselves extremely formidable in what has to be one of the most competitive four-game winning streak in a very long time.
Indiana dominated Boston in Game 1 but had a fumble late that allowed a key Jaylen Brown 3-pointer and more action from the home team. The Pacers were shocked after leading by seven points into the fourth quarter in Game 3 and then collapsed after holding a nine-point lead into the final quarter on Monday night. Some would argue the Pacers should return to TD Garden with a 3-1 record and a chance to close out the series.
Maybe it's admirable that the Celtics found a way to win all those games against the best teams. Or maybe they should. Of course, that wouldn't happen today. The pundits say: good bye Completely uninterested in the real world.
Again, I cannot stress enough that none of this matters. The Celtics are right to be upset about this story, but if they win four more games, this story will go away forever. What's upsetting is that we're already living in a RINGZ culture where the groundwork is being laid to say that only one team can have a successful season, and even that team is a fluke. This is a very strange way to follow sports. What's the point of playing a season if spectators are going to chirp about how easy it was to climb from the safety of base camp while no one gets to enjoy the view from the top?
