The Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat in a thrilling game that went down to the wire on Nov. 9.
The last two NBA seasons have ended with a victory parade in Miami. The Heat have been dominating other teams in the league night in and night out.
After winning it all in 2008, the Boston Celtics have been battling injuries while struggling to get into the playoffs. General Manager Danny Ainge chose to trade away the team’s two best players, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, this offseason in an effort to rebuild the team from the bottom up. He even went as far as trading the team’s head coach, Doc Rivers.
After the departure of their two future Hall of Fame players, Pierce and Garnett, and head coach, everyone around the league assumed that the Celtics would be one of the worst teams in the NBA this season. With new players and a new coach, the Celtics were projected to receive a high draft pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
Even though the Celtics beat the defending champion Heat on a buzzer-beating three-pointer, many people still doubt the Celtics will be a real threat anytime soon. Things may not look great right now, but the team’s future is actually looking brighter than you may think. The Celtics have gone from a lethargic, over-coached team to a fast-paced, fast-break, modern-day squad.
The Celtics might also get multiple draft picks for this year’s NBA draft, anticipated to be the best since 2003, which produced players like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Carmelo Anthony. The Celtics will also have a lot of salary cap space soon, thanks to expiring contracts.
Did I forget to mention the return of veteran future Hall of Fame point guard Rajon Rondo? The last time the Celtics looked like this, they were able to trade for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. I predict another “Boston Strong” parade coming soon.