Boston Celtics: COVID-19 is team’s toughest opponent in 2021-22 season
By Raj Lavadi
Boston Celtics weren’t the only Boston sports team impacted
Boston’s players from other sports are also facing tough times with COVID.
The impetus for writing this article comes in the wake of two more Celtics testing positive—Jaylen Brown and Al Horford.
A fan’s worst nightmare is seeing their team not at 100 percent. This statement begs the question of whether fans are going to witness more Celtics become positive in the coming days due to the contagious nature of the virus. I believe that we should prepare for the worst.
Not everyone has the supernatural healing powers that Smart possesses. Tatum and former Celtic Fournier have described the post-COVID sequelae to have effects on their game. Tatum reportedly became fatigued earlier, and Fournier battled headaches, among other symptoms.
Brown remains listed active for the season-opener against the New York Knicks, a team that’s fully vaccinated. Horford is inactive.
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It remains unknown what level of health Brown will show fans when he comes back to the court. Will he be sluggish? Will he be offering fans a polished game on the court but secretly battle lingering post-COVID symptoms off-court? The decision to play is in the hands of Brown and the Celtics management.
What is certain is that Celtics fans wish well for everyone in and out of the NBA family.
The advent of vaccines is a seeming breakthrough but due to the relative hesitancy in Americans to take the vaccine, achieving 100 percent vaccination in the US seems far-fetched. On the other hand, one should be aware that vaccination doesn’t mean 100 percent immunity from COVID-19, a statement the CDC even acknowledges.
Udoka developed a breakthrough case of COVID-19, meaning that he got COVID-19 after being vaccinated. With such possibilities around, a nonchalant attitude and indifference have been adopted by many, including NBA players.
Enes Kanter, a returning Celtic, has made his view on this issue crystal-clear. An overt vaccination representative, Kanter made his stance clear on a CNN interview. He called out LeBron James for not speaking out regarding the NBA’s sub-100 percent vaccination rate. Kanter believes it’s a personal responsibility of NBA players to get vaccinated to protect others.