I have been a devoted Celtics fan for 65 seasons, and as such - I feel we have been spoiled. many Boston fans generally think anything less than another Title is failure for "The Green".
I am not one of those! There are 30 teams in the League - and perhaps more to come. Numerically at least, that means expecting more than a Championship every 30 years - particularly with the player movement of the last decade - just may be fantasy.
The 60's, with Bill Russell manning the center spot, saw eight Championships landing in Beantown. The 70's saw two more with Dave Cowens taking over the 5-spot from Russ. The Larry Bird-led Celtics nailed three more Titles in the 80's - followed by another in 2008 - and yet another in 2024.
The Celtics have won more Championships (18) than any other NBA squad, and there will be more. Barring an absolute meltdown by Boston in the upcoming season, I doubt I will be disappointed in the outcome for the 2025-26 campaign.
The loss of Jayson Tatum for at least one year won't destroy my tempered hopes for next season. He is only 27 years old and should be back on the court while still only 28. And this young man is a fighter. Youth, determination and the will to win are all in his arsenal.
Changes are coming in the Celtics roster. That is certain. Brad Stevens has followed the lead of Red Auerbach and Danny Ainge in making acute, key roster decisions. Despite money issues and new ownership, Celtics fans may not be thrilled with the Boston crew that takes to the court this coming October, but there are few NBA execs that I would trust more to make the coming hard decisions.
I will miss seeing Tatum on the parquet this coming season. He may be the "smoothest" Celtic to ever play in Boston, and he is good. DAMN GOOD! I can wait a year or more to watch him perform again. But I will temper my expectations for that period of time and hope that for 2025-26, the Celtics put a product on the floor that is fun to watch - plays hard as a team - and doesn't settle for 3-pointers to win games (sorry, had to get that in).
Love this!
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