The Boston Celtics didn’t face the best of the East
Looking objectively at the Boston Celtics’ playoff run, it’s clear that they didn’t face the best of the Eastern Conference. During their first-round playoff series with the Brooklyn Nets, they were already a mess. In the second round, the Milwaukee Bucks were without Khris Middleton.
In the conference finals, the Miami Heat was already a shell of their regular season selves (because of injuries). And if Jimmy Butler hits a 3, the Celtics may have not even made the NBA Finals. This is not excuse-making for any of Boston’s opponents, but this is more of taking a realistic approach.
Maybe the Malcolm Brogdon acquisition is enough to get the Celtics over the top even against a healthy Eastern Conference, but I don’t think that’s a foregone conclusion. It’s something that this front office has clearly thought about, which went into their thought process in already making one “splash” move during the offseason.