Two months ago, the Celtics came into the NBA Bubble with one goal in mind: to win a NBA championship and raise banner #18. The team entered the playoffs with the number 3 seed, giving them a first-round matchup with a Philadelphia 76ers team lacking star forward Ben Simmons. It was a swift decision - the Celtics made quick work of the 76ers, sweeping them 4-0.
The second round was not so easy for Boston. After losing Gordon Hayward to a severely sprained ankle in Game 1 of the Philadelphia series, many NBA insiders predicted that the Celtics would not stand a chance against the defending champion Toronto Raptors. However, the C’s proved them wrong in the first two games of the series. Daniel Theis and Robert Williams III had standout performances in a 112-94 Game 1 blowout victory, while the team shut down the Raptor’s big men Marc Gasol and Pascal Siakam. Jayson Tatum was the star of Game 2 with 34 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists, joined by Williams III, who once again chipped in off the bench with 11 points and a 5-5 performance from the field. However, the Celtics’ winning streak came to a halt with a heartbreaking Game 3 defeat. OG Anunoby, with a feed from teammate Kyle Lowry, hit a game-winning three-pointer as time expired to give the Raptors the 104-103 win. Lowry proved himself once again to be the heart and soul of the Raptors team, pouring in 31 points, six rebounds, and eight assists on 13-23 shooting for a remarkable Game 3 performance. The two teams were in a headlock for the next few games, and a double-overtime thriller victory for the Raptors ultimately forced a Game 7 for the series to conclude in an exciting manner.
Game 7 lived up to the hype, coming down to the final minutes between the two teams. Jayson Tatum had a standout night for Boston with 29 points, while Fred VanFleet scored 20 for Toronto. But with a spark from their young players, the Celtics rose to the occasion and defeated the Raptors, 92-87, to take the series, making it the third year in a row that a professional Boston team has defeated a Toronto team in a 7-game series. The Celtics are currently clashing with Jimmy Butler and the red-hot Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. After two games, the Heat lead the series 2-0.
Boston’s journey through their championship run in these playoffs have been marked with not only high-level performances from Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but with lifts from their secondary players. This support will be necessary in a series against the Heat, a team that will be going into the series as chippy underdogs. With the experience that Boston’s youth core has accrued over the past couple of years and the chemistry among the talented individuals on their roster, the team has the tools to meet the challenge ahead of them head-on.
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