Did complacency cost the Boston Celtics a chance at repeating as NBA champions?
The C's fell to the New York Knicks in six games during their second-round series, ending their season on a sour note with a blowout loss at Madison Square Garden. While one could point to several issues that led to Boston's demise, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James offered a unique take on why the reigning champs came up short.
"It seems like sometimes, it seems like they get bored sometimes with the -- I don't want to say the process. Because I mean, s--t, they are who they are, and when you look at (Jayson) Tatum and (Jaylen) Brown, this is years and years and years and years, they've punched their 10,000 hours," James said on the "Mind the Game" podcast with fellow NBA great Steve Nash.
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Boston fell into a 2-0 series hole after blowing consecutive 20-point leads at home. While "bored" may not be the right word to describe the Celtics' mindset during those collapses, it's fair to criticize them for getting too comfortable.
The C's responded with a lopsided Game 3 win at MSG, but a disastrous Game 4 ultimately determined their fate. They blew a 15-point halftime lead and lost superstar Jayson Tatum to a ruptured Achilles late in the fourth quarter. After they rallied to win Game 5 at home, Tatum's absence was glaring in their 119-81 Game 6 defeat.
Health was a significant factor in the Celtics' second-round exit. On top of the Tatum injury, Jaylen Brown played through a partially torn meniscus, and Kristaps Porzingis wasn't himself due to a nagging illness.
Still, above all else, a lack of in-game adjustments cost Boston a shot at raising Banner 19. Joe Mazzulla's group had no answers when their 3-pointers stopped falling, and the Knicks capitalized each time the Celtics' offense went ice-cold.
Although the Celtics were the better team for most of the series, the Knicks were relentless. That's why they're on to the Eastern Conference Finals to take on the Indiana Pacers, and the C's are back home looking ahead to an uncertain offseason.