Green shuts down critics who say Celtics had easy path to NBA Finals originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Celtics are heading to the NBA Finals for the second time in three years, but critics continue to find ways to diminish the team’s performance.
The most common criticism of the Celtics’ participation in the Finals is that their competition in the Eastern Conference was weak.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Celtics played the No. 8 seed Miami Heat, who were without Jimmy Butler. After splitting the first two games, the Celtics found their rhythm and won the next three by a combined 68 points. The C’s defense shut down the Heat over the last three games, holding them to under 90 points each time.
The trend continued into the next round, where the Celtics faced the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. This time, the Cavaliers were without Jarrett Allen for the entire series and their star guard Donovan Mitchell for the final two games. The Celtics once again split the first two games of the series, adjusted and won the next three straight games to end the series in five games.
Heading into the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics were prepared to take on a fully healthy Indiana Pacers squad. Unfortunately, star Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton re-injured his hamstring in Game 2, sidelining him for the rest of the series. The Celtics showed great poise in the series, clawing their way back from big deficits in the final two games to earn a sweep.
What does all that show? Opponents aside, the Celtics continually found ways to adapt as the series progressed – getting stronger defensively against the Heat, putting more emphasis on rebounding against the Cavaliers and proving they can play through adversity against the Pacers.
To top it all off, they did it without their starting center Kristaps Porzingis, leaning on 37-year-old Al Horford as the primary paint protector.
Often seen as a villain in the NBA, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green chimed in on Boston’s critics during a recent episode of his podcast: The Draymond Green show.
“The Celtics make it to the Finals with only two losses and everyone says, ‘Their road isn’t hard enough,’” Green said. “If I’m honest, I never think the East is that tough, but I also made it to an NBA Finals and didn’t lose any games along the way, and no one would say our road wasn’t tough enough, so don’t tell me that the road to ‘The Boston Celtics’ is not tough enough.'”
Green and the Golden State Warriors won almost the entire 2017 playoffs. After taking their opponents through the first three rounds, the Warriors dropped one game in the finals but still closed it out in just five games. Regardless of the opponent, Green knows how difficult it is to achieve what the Celtics have in these playoffs.
“[Critics say] they’re not tested and all that,” Green added. “Whether they make it to these NBA Finals and win or lose isn’t going to happen because they haven’t been tested, let me tell you. You don’t get to the NBA Finals and at some point in the year you’re not tested – not happening, not going to happen, not happening this time.”
The Celtics dominated the entire regular season, finishing 14 games ahead of the No. 2 seed New York Knicks. No team came close to the Celtics in regular season dominance, and they have no control over who they play in the playoffs.
“Congratulate them on their flight,” Green said. “Whoever you put in front of them, they beat. They let a few games go that they really shouldn’t have let get away, but still they’re in the NBA Finals with two losses.”
The Celtics will look to get the last laugh over their critics when the finals begin on June 6. Boston will face the winner of the Minnesota Timberwolves-Dallas Mavericks series, with Dallas currently holding a 3-1 lead.
