While many consider the Boston Celtics to be the best team in the NBA, they still have some work to do if they’re going to win it all this summer.
They have suffered some troubling losses to teams they should’ve beaten, and they have lost two close games to the defending world champion Denver Nuggets this season.
Some have also criticized the Celtics for the high volume of 3-pointers they attempt each game.
They’re comfortably in first place in the Eastern Conference right now, and Shaquille O’Neal, a four-time champion, said on the “NBA on TNT” that they need to remain focused and improve their weaknesses in order to claim the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
“They just have to stay motivated… and focus on the mistakes they make… If they can focus on those two things, they will be the champions this year,” he said.
“They just have to stay motivated… and focus on the mistakes they make… If they can focus on those two things, they will be the champions this year.” 👀@SHAQ on Boston with the playoffs approaching pic.twitter.com/SNOxe01SW6
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 14, 2024
Boston came into Thursday with a 51-14 record, which was 9.5 games ahead of the second-place Cleveland Cavaliers, but championships in the NBA aren’t won in March — they’re won in June.
There are some reasons for concern, starting with the loss to Cleveland last week in which Boston blew a 22-point fourth-quarter lead to a Cavs team that was missing five-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell.
On February 1, they lost at home to an inconsistent Los Angeles Lakers squad that was without both LeBron James and Anthony Davis, which came less than a week after a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Moving forward, another concern is whether Jayson Tatum, their best player, will play up to his potential in big playoff games and get them over the hump.
So far in his career, he has failed to do so, such as when he scored just 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting in Game 7 of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat.
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Joe Mazzulla Explains How Celtics Have Found Success Without Key Players