The Celtics won game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals last night. 107-94. I'd know cause I was there. 
While this isn't a blog to brag about that, that's my intro for a reason. Think about what I just typed and you just read, but neither of were doing it at the same time....
The Celtics won game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Meaning the Boston Celtics are still alive. Not only are they alive, but their heart is looking great, they just got a check-up and have a clean bill of health. They are very much alive. Given the youthfulness of this team nobody expected it but The Boston Celtics are in the Eastern Conference Finals. 10 playoff wins. Remember this happening 5 minutes into their season?
Celtics lost that game, obviously. The pure shock factor of your key free agent acquisition going down from a disgusting, devastating ankle injury 5 minutes into your year does that. Suddenly your mind isn't really on basketball. Celtics would drop their next game too as many players were unable to play due to vomiting 1/3 of their body weight from witnessing the Hayward injury 20 feet away. (not true!)
Then somehow, despite the what many prognosticators were calling a death blow to their season, this happened; which was really cool.
16 straight wins. Nbd.
Kyrie would battle injuries all season only appearing in 60 games. He did average 24 & 5. Minus the injuries I'd call his first year in Boston a success. I'd say the worst part of his season without a doubt would be when he fucking thought the throwback Buck's court was actually the floor from the 80's. Not very surprising coming from a flat earth guy.
We all know Kyrie went down. Been out since March 11th. Celts are 46-20 at the time. Play... okay down the stretch and finish the year 2nd in the Eastern Conference at 55-27. Considering all the roster turnover from the year before and season ending injuries to the team's two biggest off-season additions since KG and Ray Allen. To win more games than the year before. What a season. If you had told me a healthy roster goes 55-27 I'm taking that all day. Like are the Celtics gonna be a under 20 loss team next year?
It was strange though, because even thought the C's were the #2 seed nobody was giving them a chance to make any serious noise in the playoffs. It was a great year, but without Gordo or Kyrie they have no shot... C's finished the year 2-4 and weren't looking too promising. Tbh I thought we'd lose to Milwaukee. I thought Giannis would score like 47 a game. He eats the Celtics for a snack 4 times a year. I thought it was the worst match-up the could get. They battle the Greek Freak and Milwaukee in a hard fought, rock fight, home team wins every game opening round series. Something the Celtics have done many a time. Biggest highlight of this series was the beef between Terry Rozier and Eric Bledsoe that somehow turned into a revival of New England's love for Drew Bledsoe.
Next came the process and the Philadelphia 76ers. A team many (myself included) had as the team to win the Eastern Conference. They had just smoked Miami in a 5. HHuuuuugGGEE favorites. Celtics are underdogs in every. single. game. and gentlemen sweep em. Which leads us to here. The ECF. For the 2nd straight year the Boston Celtics take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. The rosters are nothing like the previous team on both sides. What many expected to be the conference final match up going into the season did not seem plausible at many moments throughout the season. Even though I've been confidence in the Celtics and do think they'll win this series, or at the very least should win. But it's still Lebron James. It's like Tom Brady. I'm not betting against him until he proves me wrong. Lebron isn't dead until he's in the ground. What we love about this Celtics team is what could be it's undoing. Do we really trust this young core in a game 7 against Lebron? He did have a very quiet 42 point night last night, and all he has to do is win one road game against this young, and while extremely promising, still unproven team. If this series gets to 2-2 I am going to be sick to my stomach. The C's have looked so much better than the Cavs. Like the Celtics are New Girl Zooey Deschanel, 
and the Cavs are The New Guy Zooey.
But for now the Boston Celtics have a 2-0 lead. Obviously I want them to win and think they will I feel like Boston sport fans in particular have a championship or bust mindset with all the four teams given the massive success they've all endured at points the last 15 or so years. You can't grade every season as a success or failure on whether or not that team was getting rings.
I didn't wanna get too much into players to keep this short but this Celtics team with "Average" Al, a rookie who no Celtics fan wanted on draft night, A 3rd year 3rd string point guard, 2nd year wing with a questionable shot, Marcus "I've never seen a shot I shouldn't take" Smart and a bunch of nobodies on the bench. That team is two wins away from a trip to the NBA Finals. Sure they'd probably be facing The Golden State Warriors who would be massive favorites and deservingly so. You'll probably get swept, maaaybe win a game? If that were to happen I would still be so happy about this year and never hang my head in shame as a Celtics fan. This season has been such a great window into the future of this team, in a way the Hayward injury only helped Jaylen and Tatum's development via trial by fire. This team is two wins away from the NBA Finals. Even if they don't get there, what a ride it has been. This is a team I'll never forget. We've been introduced to so many guys that are gonna be here for next few years where the Celtics have a serious championship window. While I cannot wait for the fall to see what this team looks like at close to 100% I am really excited to see how far this can go. Maybe we won't have to wait until November to see Hayward?
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