After getting within a quarter of reaching the NBA Finals in 2018, the Boston Celtics right the ship and get there in 2019, but other news will have fans stirring in their emotions.
If you think 2018 was an emotional rollercoaster for Boston Celtics fans, just wait and prepare yourselves for 2019.
After establishing themselves as Eastern Conference favorites heading into the 2018-19 NBA season, the Celtics have been labeled as one of the league’s biggest disappointments. Too much talent and the early season struggles of Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward have been some causes of blame, but mostly the team has lacked a sense of urgency.
A couple closed door meeting and a very vocal Kyrie Irving has appeared to get the team back on track, but a New Year’s Eve loss to the San Antonio Spurs, in which the team gave up 46 points in a quarter exposed that the Celtics still have more work to do to play more consistently on the road.
Injuries have also been a part of the team’s 23-15 record so far this season, but their depth has proved to be their strength as they have managed to find ways to win, just like they did throughout the 2017-18 campaign.
Eventually health will be on their side and the Boston Celtics will go on a run to end the season that will show everyone they are the team everyone thought they were.
But that will just be the start for a pretty crazy 2019 for the team in green. Here are 5 predictions that might be too much for your heart to handle.
Trader Danny shakes things up
After Kyrie Irving and Jayson Tatum are selected to the NBA All-Star team, the Boston Celtics will be on a high. Putting things together at home and on the road, the Celtics rise in the standings passing a sinking ship known as the Philadelphia 76ers.
The play of the Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors and Indiana Pacers show Danny Ainge that the team doesn’t have the personnel to overtake those teams.
Fans will point to the return of a healthy Aron Baynes and Robert Williams III as the rim protectors the Celtics need, but Ainge sees a deeper problem, especially with Al Horford continuing to battle knee issues.
The Boston Celtics need a big man who can do it on both ends of the court to compete with the three teams ahead of them.
After rumors swirl about deals involving Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier, Ainge finally pulls the trigger at the NBA Trade Deadline and deals Rozier and one of his first-round draft picks to the Orlando Magic for big man Nikola Vucevic.
The move inspires the Boston Celtics to go on a late season run that has them once again challenging for the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference.
A late-season injury suffered by Kyrie Irving will have fans questioning the deal, but the re-emergence of Jaylen Brown and the play of Brad Wanamaker allows for the team to keep going strong as Marcus Smart takes over the starting point guard duties.
Don’t worry, Irving’s injury was more about rest than anything deeper to be concerned about.
Hayward returns to All-Star form
Gordon Hayward’s 35-point performance against the Minnesota Timberwolves is just the beginning.
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Hayward’s confidence continues to rise following the All-Star break as he becomes a force off the bench by averaging almost a triple-double through the second half of the season.
His value really shows when Kyrie Irving and Al Horford miss some key games in April. Hayward shows both leadership and confidence in helping the Celtics continue to roll during an important stretch in the season.
Fans will really see Gordon Hayward shine when he is on the court with Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and newcomer Nikola Vucevic. The Celtics new death lineup becomes one of the reasons the team finishes the season with 58 wins and once again look like the Eastern Conference favorites.
After posting the best record in the NBA post All-Star break, many critics believe the Boston Celtics are favorites to win the championship after Draymond Green gets into it again with Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins. The inner turmoil begins to test the leadership ability of head coach Steve Kerr.
The crumbling of the Golden State Warriors become the story of the second half of the NBA season along with the comeback story of one Gordon Hayward.
MVP favorite Kyrie leads Celtics
After sitting out games in April due to injury, Kyrie Irving picks off where he left off as a leading MVP candidate in the NBA.
Irving’s ability to take over games is showcased in two regular season games against the Golden State Warriors in which Uncle Drew explodes for 40 -plus points in both games. It is his defense and passing that will really have fans and critics clamoring about Kyrie’s game.
With Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward all playing well, Irving becomes a valuable playmaker for the Celtics. Taking a backseat with his scoring on most nights, just the threat of his explosiveness opens things up for other players offensively.
The addition of Nikola Vucevic also helps open up the lane for Irving to be able to drive to the hole and kick out to the open man. The space and pace style Brad Stevens loves, along with more aggressive defense allows the Celtics to roll to the Eastern Conference Finals against Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors.
While NBA pundits like Nick Wright pick Toronto because they have the best player on the court, Kyrie Irving ultimately wins the battle by averaging over 30 points a game as the Celtics knock out the Raptors in Game 6 of the seven-game series.
The Celtics meet a rejuvenated and galvanized Golden State Warriors team in the playoff but come up short in Game 7 when Irving passes up a potential game-winning shot for a contested three-point attempt by Marcus Morris.
The ball rattles in and out of the basket as the final seconds elapse. The two-point loss stings for Boston Celtics fans, but also show how close the team is to winning a championship. Following the series Kevin Durant clamors about the Celtics and their future potential.
Summer of 2019 is crazy
Coming off an NBA Finals loss, Kyrie Irving announces in the Player’s Tribune that he is indeed staying in Boston. He likes where the team is going and hints that a player like Anthony David will put the team over the top.
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After Al Horford re-signs with the team on a cheaper deal, Danny Ainge will have the Max contract and assets he needs to trade for Davis after the star announces he wants out of New Orleans.
The hype finally becomes real when he makes it public that he wants to play for either the Celtics or Los Angeles Lakers. Ultimately, however, the Pelicans decide the Lakers have the better package as Ainge refuses to include All-Star forward Jayson Tatum in the deal.
LeBron James spurns the Celtics again and a new chapter of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry unfolds. To cap things off, Kawhi Leonard signs a max deal with the Lakers making them the team to beat in the entire NBA.
With the three-headed monster in L.A, Celtics fans feel dejected again as now the team will have to go through LeBron James, Leonard and Anthony Davis to win banner 18.
Fireworks!
You really didn’t think Danny Ainge would sit back and let this all happen quietly right?
With rumors swirling about Kevin Durant taking his talents to New York to play alongside Jimmy Butler, the star makes a shocking announcement that he is indeed signing with the Boston Celtics.
In his press conference, Durant says that he was impressed with the vision of Brad Stevens a few years ago during his trip to the Hamptons and is really impressed with the development of Jayson Tatum and believes Kyrie Irving is the best point guard in the NBA.
He also noted the return of Al Horford as a reason he chose Boston as he was impressed by the ball movement and total game effort of the Celtics during the 2018-19 NBA Finals.
The surprise signing allows for Marcus Morris to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers who pull off a trade with the Golden State Warriors for Draymond Green after they make a splash and sign Klay Thompson. In need of a big man to contain Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis, Ainge strikes again by trading Jaylen Brown and draft picks to the Detroit Pistons for Andre Drummond after Gordon Hayward restructures his deal to allow the trade.
The fireworks in the summer of 2019 sets up all kinds of stories entering the 2019-2020 NBA season as the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers are all at the top of the league at the same time once again.