Joe Mazzulla has the Celtics ready to embrace the challenge of a repeat run, and it’ll be much-needed with an interesting NBA season ahead.
Boston will raise Banner 18 at TD Garden on Tuesday before beginning its chase to become the first team to repeat as NBA champions since the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors. The C’s embraced a mindset of ignoring the noise and taking on those who want to step up and face the defending NBA champions. It’s the correct mindset to have, energizing an already passionate fanbase. However, there are reasons to be skeptical.
Kristaps Porzingis was the only significant injury the Celtics dealt with during last year’s NBA playoffs. They faced the repercussions of the big man’s injury to start the season, but it highlighted how Boston was on the positive side of injury regression.
Jrue Holiday and Jaylen Brown had their fair share of injuries throughout their respective NBA careers, and while they dealt with that last season, it didn’t significantly affect the Celtics. Al Horford enters his age-39 season, and Boston already took steps in the preseason to manage his load. Injuries are nearly impossible to predict, but the depth could be tested if there are multiple holes in the best starting five in the NBA.
The biggest question for the Celtics will be who emerges out of the Western Conference. Fans might not want to hear this, but the Dallas Mavericks were the perfect matchup for Boston to exploit. Dallas didn’t have a skilled big man to challenge Porzingis or Horford like the Denver Nuggets. The Mavericks also didn’t have skilled wing players to support Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving like the Minnesota Timberwolves have. Boston did its job by containing Doncic and Irving, and Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown took advantage of mediocre defensive matchups.
There will be three teams to keep an eye on as early favorites. There are the aforementioned Nuggets and Timberwolves and the Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC is sort of like the West version of the Celtics. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams are the top two ballhandlers. Chet Holmgren is the stretch five who pairs with the rim-protector Isaiah Hartenstein. And the Thunder have multiple versatile wing players that head coach Mark Daigneault can utilize for any matchup.
As long as Denver has Nikola Jokic, it’s always in the championship conversation. Russell Westbrook is way past his prime, but his off-ball ability actually is a perfect fit with Jokic. The big thing for the Nuggets is Jamal Murray’s health since his chemistry with Jokic truly unlocks the team’s ceiling. Plus, Aaron Gordon is one of the top lockdown defenders in the league and would give Tatum and Brown fits.
The Timberwolves lost their defensive ceiling when they traded Karl-Anthony Towns, but Anthony Edwards is a legit superstar surrounded by really good role players. Don’t be surprised if Minnesota tries to flip Julius Randle for a player who better fits with Edwards and Rudy Gobert.
The Eastern Conference should be easy pickings for Boston, but it’s likely it will run into a stronger Western Conference opponent that can better challenge it than the Mavericks. And if it does, the Celtics will fail in their chase of back-to-back NBA championships.
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