In Game 4 of the NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics found themselves up 94-90 at home with five minutes left.
The Celtics were staring down the barrel of a 3-1 series lead. All they had to do was hold on at home.
Instead, the Celtics lost their lead, their composure and probably the series as they managed to be -14 from that point to the end of the game.
The natural inclination is to assume Boston will be back. With the help of draft picks, the Celtics’ main components, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown are all home grown.
Rookie head coach, Ime Udoka, proved that the job of being the head coach is one of the top NBA towns wasn’t too big for him.
That’s why it’s so easy to assume that the six-game NBA Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors is more of a beginning than an ending.
That’s until you consider the teams in the East.
Boston had a lot of things bounce their way.
They eliminated a Brooklyn Nets team that had no continuity around the on-again-off-again Kyrie Irving. All signs point to the Nets extending Irving and if the unpredictable guard plays, at least, 65 games. And let’s not forget Ben Simmons. You can count on the Nets being in the top half of the East next season.
The Milwaukee Bucks pushed Boston to seven even without all-star Khris Middleton.
The Miami Heat was also within a game of eliminating the Celtics.
All three teams, along with the Philadelphia 76ers, are expected to be bonified NBA Finals contenders.
It almost has a 2012 Oklahoma City Thunder team that finished runner-up to the Miami Heat. There core included Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and James Harden. When they lost to the Heat, there was a sense of inevitability that they would be back. Then things fell apart as the Thunder traded Harden for budgetary reasons and Durant left for an easier path to a ring.
The Celtics might not have the exact same issues but they could easily find themselves being a one-off footnote just like the Thunder.
It’s why those five minutes in TD Garden are so painful.
