Missing that championship window feeling more than anything.
The window is open as long as we have Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Brad Stevens steering the ship.
Mazzulla needs to coach us differently as well, run some plays that dont involve chucking 3’s and we might be in good shape.
Maybe a bit, but you can’t claim we don’t run plays. Mazulla is standing up almost every possession barking out plays to the guys, we ran tons of different actions this year.
I think people don’t understand how much our roster enforces our play style. As much as I love JT and JB, they both struggle at times with getting paint touches, at the rim specifically. The solution to this is having a center you can operate through. When we lack a center capable of generating consistent paint touches and creating out of those touches, the only real solution for us is to is to shoot and hit open 3s and force the other team out of the paint, creating the space that JT and JB need to operate effectively.
That’s why KP was such a cheat code specifically for us - he was a 7 foot mismatch nightmare with an elite elbow jumper who was adept at facing up at the top of the key and facilitating from there. His shooting ability also created a wealth of spacing for the Jays. Almost all of our issues, at least this year, can be traced directly back to having a weak center rotation that couldn’t matchup against the best of the best.
If Queta continues to develop and we find a 2nd center we can pair alongside him (preferably with more of a spacing skillset), we will automatically be a much more resilient team.
I never claimed we didnt run plays. I said we need to run plays that dont involve setting up for a 3. Only reason it worked a couple years ago is because our roster was so stacked it didnt matter. Now he needs to make adjustments. Jaylen and Tatum have tons of success attacking and shooting midrange but it always reverts back to 40 3’s a game. Disgusting hoops to watch. Queta has a lot of developing to do but im hopeful. We are in desperate need of a playmaker and a center if we want to win sooner than later.
JBs success from the midrange equates to at or below league average efficiency, and Tatum has always struggled driving to the rim, at least the last few years. The only way this team becomes less reliant on the 3 is by improving at the center position and/or adding another real ball handler.
I said we need to run plays that dont involve setting up for a 3.
They don’t set up for a 3.
Joe talks about it quite a lot. They try to create 2-on-1s that set up for an open man. It just so happens that when you drive inside and force a 2-on-1 that leaves an open man on the perimeter.
It’s that ying-yang part of the game people really struggle with. If you drive into the paint more, you’ll end up shooting more 3s, if you shoot more 3s you’ll end up getting better looks inside.
Peak GSW had surprisingly good numbers in the paint because teams were so busy trying to double Curry on the perimeter.
People talk about getting Giannis so were less reliant on 3s but Giannis generates more 3s than Brown and Giannis forces you to go get more 3P shooters to give him room to operate.
The team is pretty inefficient at the rim. In both the Knicks series last year and Sixers series they smoked wide open layups time and time again.
Yeah JT’s finishing at the rim has needed work before the injury, him attacking the rim and creating chances elsewhere was more efficient than him actually finishing in traffic.
JB has so much in his bag but he really needs to continue to develop his foul game, FT shooting, and just get better at getting to his spots. I know he’s modeled his game after jimmy butler for years, but Butler got way more efficient in his 30s as he started to rely less on his athleticism and more just his elite fake game and and ability to finish through contact. JB has all the same criticisms of 76ers-era Jimmy Butler, he needs to really refine that part of his game because even though he’s almost 30 jimmy proved that you can get better by cutting the waste out of your game.
I think this is a super insightful comment, and I think you are spot on. It feels to me like JB levels up his game in a way this year where the way he improves from here on out is refinement, just like you said.
Jaylen doesn’t have the BBIQ that Jimmy has. Jaylen is an egotistical piece of shit that hijacks the offense and commits a zillion TOs. He’s a cancer to the franchise
Unlike notable ego-free Jimmy Butler lol
Jimmy Butler was also a cancer in every fucking franchise he played for
I just don’t understand why we struggle getting to the paint . Brown and Tatum are some of the strongest guys in the league
They are strong, but JBs handles (as much as they’ve improved) limit his ability to effectively drive to the rim through traffic at times. JT struggles at times driving and finishing through traffic as well, neither of them have the shiftiness of an SGA or a Brunson. For them to function at their best, they just need a little more space.
Queta is a beast #2 center just like Luke was i like Luke more but w/e I dont ever see him being a star center cuz u have to shoot the 3 or be an embied type beast yes our roster is a 3 type team but the reason they did so good during the reg season cuz jb would drive and own the middy game and having white/pritch to hit the 3 we need more of that middy its never gunna happen but if jt developed jbs game that would be something hes just not tough enough
It’s really not worth arguing with people who think all that we do is chuck 3s. As if we don’t run constant actions that generate more open 3s than anyone else. It’s like arguing with people that walks aren’t useful and OPS is a stupid stat in baseball 20 years ago.
There are specific instances where the coaching needs to be better. There are specific instances where the execution needs to be better. But “don’t chuck 3s” is not one of them.
We need to get AD, or resign KP
That will never happen in a million years. He has shown time and time again he has no interest/ability to modify his game plan. His teams will always live/die by the 3. The really frustrating part is that strategy will not win us another championship unless we get another super team (which won’t happen with the current CBA)
Except Joe has had us play three totally different styles in three different years. It changes with who we have available. We can’t keep teams honest when we can’t attack inside, so settling for more variance makes sense. But it’s not going to win a title unless you stay totally healthy or get incredibly lucky, and even then that’s not a guarantee. There’s a reason we’re on to an 8th different champ in 8 seasons
When we had healthy Porzingis one of the most efficient and used plays in the league was Porz in the post. This year, we had a lot of Brown midranges. The issue is that this year we didn’t have an inside presence, and that’s what lost us the 76ers series. If we had an inside presence against the Sixers, someone to defend Embiid with, it would have been a different story.
Mazzulla’s got the talent to work with but yeah, the offense gets predictable when every possession looks the same.
This. Knicks changed their play style from just having Brunson ISO all the time to actually playing team ball like the 2010s Warriors.
I think blaming Joe and saying the Celtics “chuck too many 3s” is an oversimplification of what went wrong in the Philly series.
Did the entire Celtics roster with the possible exception of Tatum significantly underperform in this series? Absolutely. Did Joe have a great series on the coaching side? Definitely not. However, in my opinion, that series was far more indicative of the limitations of our roster, particularly our front-court. Spacing was a problem like another commenter mentioned below, and Queta had too many bad fouls. Our depth at center also wasn’t the best. Garza had nice energy off the bench, esp offensive boards. But he got picked on defensively and also tended to rack up fouls quickly. And Vuc just wasn’t the answer on either end of the floor.
If anything, I think the Cs overperformed in the regular season (“gap year” and all), and the Philly series exposed why we need one more offseason to retool the roster around the Jays now that we’re out of luxury tax hell. But the idea that our championship window is closed is preposterous. We will be back in 2027, count on it!
Tatum and Brad, sure. Jaylen? Fuck no
Literally the finals mvp you dork
So was Iguodala? Who gives a fuck?
Tatum led in points, rebounds and assists while playing phenomenal defense and getting double and triple teamed.
Jaylen got the award by ONE vote and it was fucking bullshit
Where was this amazing Jaylen against Miami in 2023? Against the Knicks last year? Against Philadelphia this season?
Get the fuck out of here
The window is open, but I don’t think we will realistically win anything for the rest of their primes.
I do think we’ll have consistent postseason appearances with the opportunity to go far into the postseason, but unless we get an MVP level player or one of Tatum/Brown take a huge leap and become a top 2 or 3 player in the league, I can’t see it happening.
Tatum is that guy. Brown is a bad fit as his sidekick. They won in spite of that but most years they’ve failed because of it.
Brown is not good enough to be the #1 guy on a championship team but as a sidekick/#2 guy he is ok. The #2 guy is less important in winning a championship, at best he is like a top 20ish player in the league which is good enough to win a championship with.
But I don’t think Tatum is good enough yet to be the #1 guy on a championship team. At best he was #4 in MVP voting. For us to win a championship again, either he needs to be the #1 or #2 best player in the league. Basically he has to be better than two or three of Jokic, Shai, or Wemby. Or Giannis depending on your personal ratings. It could be possible, but likely his prime has been stunted by his Achilles tear and he may never reach his actual prime again.
Other way we could become contenders is by finding a #1 better than him (Giannis) but personally I don’t think they would fit well together. But on paper and in theory that would satisfy the criteria needed to win a championship.
Am I genuinely reading a comment from 2023?
Tatum was already the #1 guy on a championship team. For 2 years.
Brunson is right now the #1 guy on a championship team. Hali was the #1 guy on a championship team. Both aren’t top 5 NBA, the east is easier and it’s easier to get to the finals.
As an example, we’d be a much better team with towns instead of brown.
Tatum and brown just aren’t a good fit
Better yes, but don’t think it would be enough to win a championship.
Tatum making improvements would be much better for this team than a #2 guy getting better, teams can only go as far as their best players. The year we won a championship was a statistically an anomaly, our 1-5 guys were all so damn good that it didn’t matter that Tatum wasn’t a top 2 player in the league. That doesn’t really happen, and especially not now with the new CBA.
Admittedly, the Knicks might be able to pull off a miracle this year - they didn’t satisfy the Phil Jackson rule, their best player (Brunson) isn’t even a top 10 guy in the regular season, he is an undersized guard. Lots of things going against them, by all logic the Spurs should win this series. But the Knicks are also going on a statistically improbable run right now, kind of like Miami that one year where their bench bums shooting like Steph Curry against us. That and the Spurs are very young and as far as they were able to go this season, it was their first postseason run and historically postseason success (or failure) has been dictated by experience (or lack thereof).
SGA has proven that he isn’t really a top 2 player in the league either and they won the year before (and should’ve lost to Indy). We’re in a parity era. There are no superteams that can stay together longer than a year.
Idk man I’m gonna thoroughly enjoy watching the finals, this was never supposed to be our year.
Fuck the Knicks.
Absolutely, I hope Wemby and the Spurs whoop their ass
I hate the Knicks with a burning passion. I need them to lose.
I’m so glad Spurs won so we don’t have to cheer on the Thunder.
I used to have a healthy hate of the Knicks, but I went to Villanova and have smoked too many joints and been to too many parties with those guys to root against them
Once Brunson, Bridges and Hart are gone though the hate will be back
I used to hate the Knicks too until my friend Timothee took me court side to a couple playoff games, now I think they’re alright
You’ve smoked joints with Knicks players?
Yeah, one of my best friends in college was tight with the team, ive smoked with Mikal a bunch of times
Ok
Oh yea? What’s his favorite color
I mean I know hes a fan of green lol
Is he a sativa or indica guy?
Fuck Villanova! That school is for pricks
I’ve always hated Villanova. I’ve always hated the Knicks, if you’re associated with either then I hate you! You probably sucked them off too! Those New York Villanova Butt Boys are always up to something sus.
I agree it’s good to not raise the blood pressure every year in May/June keeps a few extras years on my life lol
Yeah pretty much. Miss Celtics basketball, wish we won, hope for another ring with at least one of the Jays. But I’m not gonna lose sleep over one year with Tatum recovering. It was a good development run for guys like Queta and Hugo at least
Exactly! This was such a fun season, and we had so many young and/or inexperienced players show a lot of promise. The way the season ended is a bummer, but I can’t imagine letting that detract from the enjoyment I got watching the guys this year.
Do you feel that breeze? Window is still open
Bars
That window opens right back up night one of the 2026⁄2027 season. Just enjoy the playoff basketball for now. We’ll be back
Not if Jaylen is still on the roster next season
Holy fake fan
Bro some people live their entire lives without seeing their team win a chip. Be grateful. We are very lucky
happens to 31 teams every year.
reload, run it back.
There’s only 30 teams but yeah
have you seen the Globetrotters or the Generals win the chip lately?
Yup. Anyone can type out a Bible entry explaining the team’s perceived problems and reality will still have different plans and a different outcome 99% of the time.
We’ll be back. Best organization in professional basketball–we’ll be back.
This is why Boston sports fans are the best/worst. Our window is still wide open and we still have a stellar organization and people will seriously make posts like this.
I feel like I’m in a small minority of fans who are still super thrilled and grateful that we won in 2024! I’d love it if we could win a title every year, but since that’s never going to happen, I’m sleeping soundly under the warmth of Banner 18 for now!
My friends and I always used to joke about the “grace period” where you weren’t allowed to get upset about your team falling short within 4 years of a title. I’m enjoying the hell out of that grace period right now. And I don’t think it’s unreasonable to believe they can extend that window before it closes.
A second round exit last year and a first round exit this year do not suggest a window.
And a championship before that
The boys obviously lost 3 games, but before Tatum got injured we were on our way to winning. This year? We were supposed to be tanking lmfao. We way overshot our target. And when Tatum did get back, it wasn’t in time to get his killer form back.
Next year is when we can talk about the window closing. But Tatum is a baller, and as long as we keep him, he will bring us back to another finals.
My man, it’s just sports. We will win eventually
….we literally didn’t miss the window because we won in 2024. Calm down
Us Boston fans have been so spoilt too. What was the longest championship drought we’ve suffered since 2000? Some cities have never seen a single championship. Some will never see one.
But one thing you can always count on is Boston will be back. It’s a matter of when, not if.
Who the hell said it’s closed?
I love how our Finals MVP who’s still here doesn’t get a single mention or pic in a “championship window” post lol. The agendas are rampant in here.
We were forced to shed salary/trade great players due to CBA restraints & still were viewed as a threat in the East. We’ve got plenty of ways to improve this roster. Let Brad cook, it’s nowhere close to over.
The FMVP should’ve went to the guy who led the team in points, rebounds and assists.
It’s been a great playoffs. I’ve been deeply invested in the Knicks, Spurs, OKC. Other teams have it much worse than the Celtics, and no team in the east has an answer for Wemby (short of something wild happening in these finals, which honestly I wouldn’t put past the Knicks, if you told me 6 weeks ago that the Knicks wouldn’t lose after starting out rough in that ATL series I’d think you were crazy)
Celtics championship window is still open. Having a window open doesn’t mean you win it every season. These two previously Celtics teams have had key flaws in ways that the 2024 team didn’t. It’s the way the salary structure of the league is designed. Most fans thought that OKC would be the team to break that and potentially go back to back. In 2025, it looked like the Celtics would be a team to break that and go back to back. The league is designed against that, it’s hard.
You think it’s bad now, but imagine when Wemby goes all Wilt Chamberlain on the league. The east is going to have to order a shit tonne of lube, otherwise May and June is going to be rough.
Hey Knicks fan here. I know you guys hate us but hear me out.
When (not if) you guys get back to the ecf / finals the moment will be even sweeter I promise. The losses and the setbacks make the victories that much better, take it from me right now lmao. The way you guys went out this year sucked but you guys also gained a shit ton and as a rival fan your future looks really scary.
Mazzulla is easily one of the top 3 coaches in the league, what he did this year with such a limited roster was absolutely incredible and he continues to improve year after year.
Brad Stevens is Brad Stevens
You guys will have a healthy tatum back next season (who after a ruptured achilles tendon looked nearly as good, if not better in some areas, after coming back on a historically fast timeline.)
Your young core of Walsh, Hugo, and Baylor look awesome and will be strong pieces in your rotation next year onwards and have shown no reasons to believe they won’t continue to improve
You guys have a really bright future, one of the brighter ones in the league for sure. You’ve gotta keep perspective, things could always be worse. Like you could be a Trailblazers or a Nets fan lol
Best of luck out there, man. Can’t wait to hear that MSG crowd.
Uh….our window isn’t closed lol
Plenty of teams have a window and walk away with nothing. we at least cashed in and will be back in contention soon enough.
Idk who’s worse this year Boston or OKC fans when it comes to being melodramatic
Bro that “stage we once owned” is long gone now. Look at the spurs with wemby, no one can compete with that level of talent, youth and athleticism
Let’s be real.
2024 was not the start of the window. 2022 was. Even if you think it’s closed, we’ve been competitive for years and it’s not something that went away quickly.
Tbh to think the window has closed n the Js is somewhat (a lot) idiotic
I think that we’ll be okay. Brad saved over $300 million dollars by getting us under the second and first apron
I’m so fucken happy Al is champion
Lets hope the new owner will indeed OVERSPEND to win again. We will see.
Missing the window means not winning a championship. We won one.
The ones who missed the window are Cavs, Sixers, Clippers and Mavs.
Would it be great to win more than one. Hell yeah, and we still can. But 1 vs 0 is monumental step.
I’m a Spurs/Celtics double fan. I think the league is a 3-team race for the next few years, with the Celtics out of the East. The only thing holding back the C’s is luck from range.
Don’t believe for a second that the championship window is closed when you have two all-NBA players, the EOTY and the COTY.
They need to re-tool and maybe make some changes but the most important ingredients are there to develop the next team to compete.
Also, the idea that any of these teams have more than a 3-year window is insane. OKC and Boston were championship squads with all their guys returning and they both failed to repeat due to injuries. The season is a grind and a championship campaign (plus Olympics) wears these guys down, especially someone like Tatum who played 20-30 extra games a year (plus olympics) for 4 straight seasons.
This ride is over in my opinion unless we trade JB for Giannis I’d package Vucevic in there too
What’s with all these depressed posts. Seasons over. Relax.
lol this post is so sad
8 different champs in 8 years, half the league has been to the finals this decade.
Half the league is in a “window” right now, you just need a top-5 player (check) and a 2nd star who is at least top-15 (check) and enough shooting, defense, and depth (missing) to get there.
*
Never going to feel bad for Boston fans because of how they treat everyone else.
☘️
One more year under the tax, then back to good times.
Just don’t break up the J’s :(
Window closed
Explain how?
Major overhaul coming