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Movies are sports, and sports are movies; at least, that is the phrase that a member of The Direct, Matt Roembke likes to banter back and forth with me from time to time. However, this mighty playoff run in which the Celtics lost only three games the entire time got me thinking. Remember when The Avengers were defeated by Thanos in Infinity War, sending shockwaves throughout the universe? Well, the only shockwaves felt were largely through my hometown of Boston, Massachusetts. While the Warriors are no cosmic juggernaut, they have cemented themselves as a dynasty within the league. Rewind to last season when the Celtics were frustratingly bounced by the Miami Heat leading to yet another soul crushing postseason exit for a team with so much hope.
CELTICS ASSEMBLE!
This offseason, roster genius Brad Stevens went to work much like Nick Fury did all those years ago, assembling a roster of immense talent. Stevens achieved this by sending defensive genius Marcus Smart flopping to Memphis, bringing in Kristaps Porzingus and what could be argued as the missing piece much when Ant-Man brought forth Quantum Theory, adding Jrue Holiday. The Celtics seemed to have the complete roster and showcased that by winning 64 games this season, earning them the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. Many questions still remained, however, as Jaylen Brown was given a max contract in the offseason, and Jayson Tatum coming due with talking heads asking the world if this duo could get it done together. Kind of reminiscent of when Tony Stark and Steve Rodgers went their separate ways in Captain America: Civil War only Brad Stevens chose to keep them together and “trust the process”.
WE’RE IN THE ENDGAME NOW
The team entered the 2024 playoffs, defeating their arch-rivals Miami Heat 4 games to 1 before doing the same to familiar faces in the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite sweeping them, their toughest test was found in the Eastern Conference finals against the Indiana Pacers, where they found themselves down and out in multiple games and found a way to win in the end. This set up a duel with the Dallas Mavericks and a long-time face haunting their past in Kyrie Irving (Ultron, anyone?) Porzingus brought the power of Thor in a dominating game 1 performance before being injured in game 2. Doubts began creeping in, but, despite dropping a game in Dallas, Tatum and Brown led them to a game four victory with 30-point performances each. Leaving the only obstacle left in their way in series clinching game five on their home court. The Jays called upon the team to assemble and capped off a storybook year by winning their league leading 18th NBA title breaking their tie with hated rival the Los Angeles Lakers.
“WHAT THEY GONNA SAY NOW?”
Jaylen Brown silenced critics by taking home the Finals MVP trophy, and grizzled vet Al Horford finally got his chip after 16 years in the league. It was a true team effort that reminded me of every Avengers-level film where they had to come together and finish the job. Label it a “Mickey Mouse” ring or whatever you would like to but, one fact remains clear: this team showed tenacity and got the job done this season.
This article was done by Matt Roth of Hopsgeeknews. For more by Matt or links to their podcast head to http://linktr.ee/hopsgeeknews
