Following a disappointing 2018-19 season for the Boston Celtics, here are three guarantees that didn’t pan out so well.
The Boston Celtics have always prided themselves on teamwork and doing their talking on the court, but this season they spent most of their time making guarantees.
With all the hype surrounding the team with the return of a healthy Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens just didn’t feel right about his squad in the preseason.
There was just something off from the start, especially when Jaylen Brown had the team in the NBA Finals before they played their first regular season game. With everything that went wrong with the 2018-19 NBA season on the court, the attitude and over confidence of the players off the court turned frustration into an explosion of disappointment.
Aside from Al Hordford, Aron Baynes and perhaps Marcus Morris, the team-first approach Stevens has become known for evaporated games at a time. While fans waited for that switch to be turned on, players and even ex-players continued to make bold statements and predictions about the team’s eventual success even when it was evident inner turmoil was dribbling throughout the organization.
With all the bold statements made, here are three that really put egg on the team’s face in 2019.
Jayson Tatum’s championship guarantee
While Kyrie Irving was in the center of the NBA media stratosphere during NBA All-Star weekend, Boston Celtics second-year man Jayson Tatum managed to steal some of the spotlight with a guarantee faded in early May.
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Perhaps Tatum was feeling it after he guaranteed he’d win the Skills Challenge which he won. Perhaps it was his 30-point performance in the Rising Stars game or maybe it was just a young player who recognized the heights his team was capable of.
Whatever it was, when ESPN’s Rachel Nichols asked Jayson Tatum whether he had another guarantee he’d like to make, he said:
"“We’re going to win the Finals this year. February 16th, mark it. Jayson Tatum says we’re going to win the Finals this year.”"
Through the first five games of the playoffs, it seemed like Tatum’s guarantee would have some merit, but the Celtics faded fast after thumping the No. 1 see Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Furthermore, Jayson Tatum struggled in that series making the shooting woes of Kyrie Irving even more drastic. Not to say the second-year rising star jinxed the Boston Celtics championship hopes, but his play on the court didn’t backup the guarantee, neither did his team.
Paul Pierce’s “series over” proclamation
What is now becoming known as the “Paul Pierce curse” was stabilized during the start of the NBA Eastern Conference Semi-finals between the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks.
After winning their fifth consecutive playoff game with an impressive 22-point victory over Giannis Antetokounmpo and the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, the Boston Celtics legend made the following proclamation during ABC’s postgame coverage:
"“I think it’s over.”"
While Paul Pierce didn’t predict a sweep, his words certainly jinxed the team and certainly woke up Bucks players and their fans.
The Celtics, of course, went on to lose the next four games and ultimately the series with pour play and cold shooting. With the bold statement, Pierce ended up with egg on his face, but how could anyone blame him with the talent the Celtics had and the way they dominated the Bucks in Game 1.
No one would’ve predicted that Kyrie Irving would go on a major shooting slump and Gordon Hayward would be invisible the next four games.
With the pour offense also came an inconsistent defensive effort that had most fans pulling out their hair and those without hair looking back at Paul Pierce’s bold statement as the ultimate curse.
Kyrie’s “no one can beat us in a 7-game series” talk
The bold statement award for the 2018-19 NBA season has to go to Kyrie Irving.
More frustrating to Boston Celtics fans other than Irving constant free agency rumors and battle with the media was his nonchalant approach to the regular season.
Sure, the Celtics had the talent to be great. As we found out during the 2018-19 season, talent means nothing without chemistry. It also means nothing when the leader is struggling to learn how to lead.
Other than calling out his young teammates through the media and reconciling with LeBron James, Kyrie Irving made an overconfident statement about his team that anyone connected to the Celtics had to know wouldn’t bold well.
Following a loss to the Chicago Bulls in February, Irving reinforced something he said earlier in the season downplaying his team’s struggles against lesser opponents.
"“…I don’t get frustrated about his stuff anymore. It’s just part of the regular season. In the playoffs, when we plan for a team, prepare for a team, I still don’t see anybody beating us in seven games.”"
Kyrie Irving was partially right. When the Boston Celtics followed the plan and came prepared for games, they were undefeated in the playoffs. Unfortunately, the bad Celtics team showed up after a 5-0 start in the postseason and made Irving’s claim devalue fans confidence in him as a big-game performer.
That’s why in Boston sports, players and coaches typically do the talking on the court, field, hockey rink or baseball diamond.