Boston Celtics: Why team is still a contender after James Harden trade
By Sam Minton
Even with the Brooklyn Nets acquiring James Harden, the Boston Celtics are still contenders in 2021.
The NBA world was shocked on Wednesday when James Harden was traded to the Brooklyn Nets. One would think that this would severely hurt the Boston Celtics chances to win a championship, but that is not the case.
Now let’s start with the pleasantries. James Harden is an offensive mastermind. He is one of the best scorers in the NBA today. The Nets made their team better by acquiring him.
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The same goes for Kyrie Irving when he is on the court. He is a dynamic player who can unleash that killer instinct and takeover games.
But Irving looks like he might never return to the court and when you add Harden to a locker room with Irving and Kevin Durant, chaos is bound to happen.
On paper, the Nets should easily win the Eastern Conference and bring a championship to Brooklyn. The issue is that the egos have created a locker room that is a dumpster fire. Steve Nash really has his work cut out for him.
But when it comes to the Celtics they have a ton of positives to look forward to. They have some of the best young players in the NBA today and a great locker room.
When the Celtics are actually playing games, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are dominating. The duo is averaging more than 25 points a game.
But there are also players like Marcus Smart. Smart is a key part of the locker room and what Boston does on the court. He is always hustling for loose balls and making the extra effort. When he is on the court, you know that Smart is giving 110 percent.
The combined leadership of Brown and Smart has set up Boston for long term success. They are great leaders who won’t let negativity take over the locker room. Everyone on the Celtics roster is focused on winning and nothing else.
So it might seem like the Celtics have no chance at winning the Eastern Conference but that is not the case. Irving seems like he might actually retire with his recent absence from the team. He might go on to do great things off the court, but the Celtics made the right decision when it came to moving on from Kyrie.
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The Boston Celtics roster still has the talent and leadership to bring them all the way to the NBA Finals. Another banner could be lifted rather soon.