The Celtics Are Honestly The NBA's Version Of The 2018 Patriots, Allow Me To Explain
I know, that sounds crazy but just stay with me for a second. I’m not comparing the two franchises in terms of their history, obviously the Patriots have had a level of sustained success us Celtics fans can only dream of. But it hit me the other day that the closer I looked at these two teams this season, I realized that the Celtics are basically the NBA’s version of this year’s Patriots team. Let’s take it from the top and we’ll start with the Pats.
Patriots
– Hyped in the offseason as the favorite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl
– Employ an extremely clutch late game performer in the QB position
– Their coach is considered a genius
– Did not beat their Vegas O/U
– Ranked 4th in points and 5th in yards, let’s call that a top 5 offense
– Ranked 7th in points allowed and 21st in yards allowed, let’s call that just outside of a top 10 defense
– Lost to really bad teams multiple times (JAX/TEN/DET/MIA) and struggled with consistency
– Pundits ruled them out and said they stunk despite what the media now wants to say since they proved them all wrong
– They were .500 1 month into the season
– Everyone supposedly hated each other
– They struggled on the road
– A big free agent acquisition (Gordon) didn’t really pan out
– Their win total was the lowest in the last 10 seasons
– Had to play a Conference Championship game on the road to reach the Super Bowl
I think any Patriots fan will tell you that while we never lost confidence, it was certainly a trying season. It really tested our loyalty and belief that when it mattered most, this team would figure it out. Now I ask you, can’t we say that exact same sentence about the 2018-19 Celtics? You’re telling me this hasn’t been a frustrating season that has tested our loyalty as fans? You’re telling me you haven’t uttered the words “they’ll be fine come the playoffs when it matters most”? Of course you have! I tell myself that every night before I go to sleep. Now here’s where things get spooky, let’s do the same exercise we did for the Pats for our boys in green
Celtics
– Hyped in the offseason as the favorite to represent the East in the Finals
– Employ an extremely clutch late game performer in the PG position aka the QB of a basketball team
– Their coach is considered a genius
– Most likely will not hit their Vegas O/U
– Currently rank 10th in offense on the year and 3rd ranked since Thanksgiving
– Currently rank 5th in defense on the year and 7th ranked since Thanksgiving
– Lost to really bad teams multiple times including PHX/NYK/CHA/DAL/ORL and struggle with consistency
– Talking heads are starting to rule them out and say they are no longer a top team in the conference
– They were .500 a little over a month into their season at 10-10
– There is a rift between the young guys and the veterans and everyone supposedly hates each other and doesn’t cheer one another on during games
– They struggle on the road, currently 11-13 which is the same amount of road losses as they had ALL last season
– Their big free agent (Hayward) acquisition hasn’t panned out so far
– They are on pace for their lowest win total in the last 3 seasons
– Will most likely have to play a Conference Championship game on the road to reach the Finals
Call me crazy, but that’s pretty similar right? I mean up and down that list if you were to talk about every aspect of the Patriots season you could say the exact same thing for the Celtics. It gets crazier too. You know how the Pats ended their season with two cupcake games? Well guess who the Celtics end their season with? The Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards, two of the worst teams in the league. After going through this exercise and realizing how identical their seasons have been, perhaps that’s why I’m not all that worried when it comes to this team. The universe is already telling us how it’s going to play out and it’s been staring at us in the face this whole time. Now we have no idea how this whole thing ends, but you bet your ass if the Patriots end up winning the Super Bowl my brain is going to go to WILD places when it comes to this team. One last tidbit for ya to seal the deal.
The Pats will play the 2nd highest scoring offense in their Super Bowl after beating the highest scoring offense to get there. There’s a chance the Celtics will play the 1st or 3rd highest scoring offense in their Conference Final only to then play GS, who we all know is the best offense on the planet. Hmmmmmmmmmmm
So when the Celtics are somehow in the Finals this June, just remember we knew it was coming all along.