Hype is Real is an NBA.com Philippines series that gives an optimistic view of every NBA team heading into the 2022-2023 season. This is our way of convincing people why they should support and watch a particular team.
Overview of last season
The Boston Celtics were the runners-up last season, losing to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. From being a middle-of-the-pack team at the start of the season, they flipped the script and morphed into a defensive juggernaut heading into the playoffs. They peaked at the most opportune time and simply fell short against a championship-experienced team.
What’s new this season?
Unfortunately, the hype and the excitement from last year have now been overshadowed by the offseason controversy of head coach Ime Udoka, who was suspended for the entire 2022-2023 NBA season for violating team rules. Interim coach Joe Mazzulla will now be calling the shots on the sidelines.
An off-court issue isn’t really what you call something “new” this season but the news sent shockwaves across the league. It was the main talking point during media day and it will continue to be a topic of conversation once the season begins.
THE guy
Technically, there are two guys in Boston: Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. If the Celtics’ postseason run told us anything is that they are the ones who will anchor Boston to another title. Talks about whether or not the team should separate them need to stop. A do-it-all forward with a killer mentality is a commodity in the NBA and Boston is lucky enough to have two. For them, their season rests on Brown and Tatum’s shoulders.
Sneaky fun guy
If there’s one guy who you can trust to lift the mood of a dispirited locker room following a controversy, you can probably count on Grant Williams. From trying to convince people to call him Batman and to christening his teammates as MCU characters, Williams definitely has a comedic side. Plus, he’s one of the most animated and talkative people at the Celtics’ bench. Whether they’re winning or down big, he knows how to encourage his teammates.
Vibe check
Save for rebuilding teams, the Celtics may have the worst vibes entering the season (okay maybe tied with the Suns and the whole Robert Sarver saga) and unfortunately, it’s not even their fault. And more importantly, it’s not even basketball related. The entire issue is just messy, sad, and complicated.
The biggest challenge for them is to put the whole issue aside even though it’ll probably hover over their heads like a nimbus cloud. It’s also not entirely correct to say that the team has to “overcome” this like it’s an injury or a bad game.
Whether they’ll have a winning record or become a lottery team, heck even if they win the title, what will happen by season’s end? Will Udoka return? Will there be permanent changes midseason? What else is going on in Boston?
The issue has left a bad taste in the mouth and it’ll probably take more than winning to have the good vibes back in Boston.
