NBA playoffs 2022 — The Boston Celtics are knocking on the door of the Finals, a second they do not take frivolously

BOSTON — As they discover themselves on the precipice of the 2022 NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics would possibly discover motivation in a sequence that occurred a decade in the past.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been close to the highest of the basketball world in 2012, having reached the Finals with a roster that includes three future MVPs — Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden — all of whom have been inside their first 5 years within the league.

When the Thunder misplaced to the Miami Heat in 5 video games within the Finals, the idea was it will be the primary of many OKC appearances within the NBA’s championship spherical. They seemed to be a dynasty within the making.

That dynasty by no means occurred.

Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets earlier than the following season started, and 12 months after 12 months, a mix of accidents, dangerous luck and excruciating playoff losses noticed the Thunder fail to return to the Finals earlier than finally breaking up.

The lesson? Do not assume one other probability is coming.

That Thunder staff is one instance of how fleeting the type of second the Celtics have in entrance of them could be. They host the Warmth in Recreation 6 of the Jap Convention finals (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) with an opportunity to shut out the sequence and return to the Finals for the primary time in 12 years.

“This can be a nice alternative,” Boston’s Jaylen Brown stated after the Recreation 5 victory. “Go away every little thing on the ground. You don’t need any emotions of remorse.”

The Celtics have made it to the East finals six instances since that final Finals journey in 2010. This, nevertheless, is arguably the closest they’ve been since they discovered themselves in the identical place a decade in the past: heading house to TD Backyard after successful Recreation 5 of the East finals in opposition to the Warmth to take a 3-2 sequence lead.

The distinction was these Celtics — an growing older staff led by Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, with one title and one other Finals journey beneath its belt — have been going up in opposition to LeBron James at his peak. James went on to play the sport of his life to ship Miami a win earlier than the Warmth would safe Recreation 7 and, finally, beat the Thunder in 5 video games as James gained his first championship.

Six years later, the Celtics have been in the same place, main James — in his second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers — 3-2 within the sequence. James dropped 46 factors, 11 rebounds and 9 assists to tie the sequence in Recreation 6, and whereas then-rookie Jayson Tatum threw down a memorable dunk over James within the fourth quarter in Recreation 7 in Boston, it was James and Cleveland who prevailed.

“Yeah, it does,” Tatum stated with a smile when requested if it feels totally different to be on this place now than it did 4 years in the past. “I am lots higher, [Brown] is. We’re simply older. And we have been by means of these robust instances.”

In 2020, the Celtics ran up in opposition to the Warmth within the bubble, falling in six video games.

This 12 months, the Celtics are the clear favorites. Whereas Boston has handled its share of accidents — Robert Williams III‘s recurring knee points, Marcus Smart‘s proper leg accidents and Al Horford lacking Recreation 1 of the sequence resulting from NBA COVID-19 well being and security protocols — Miami has been decimated by them.

The Warmth’s three finest perimeter gamers — Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry and Tyler Herro — are both taking part in with apparent limitations or unable to take part in any respect. Even when all of them have been wholesome, the Celtics’ league-leading defense is placing an already suspect Warmth half-court offense right into a sleeper maintain.

“If you wish to break by means of and punch a ticket to the Finals, you are going to should do some ridiculously robust stuff,” Warmth coach Erik Spoelstra stated after Recreation 5. “Getting on to Boston and figuring that out collectively, these are the feelings and the breakthroughs that you’ve got that you simply bear in mind the remainder of your life.”

4 months in the past, none of this appeared attainable. Boston was floundering round .500, seemingly meandering its strategy to a second straight mediocre season. However because of the mixture of well timed transactions, improved well being and coach Ime Udoka’s philosophies translating into success on the courtroom, Boston became a juggernaut that was the NBA’s finest staff for the ultimate two-and-a-half months of the common season.

Now the Celtics discover themselves with their finest alternative, after years of knocking on the door, to lastly break by means of.

“Nothing modifications,” Udoka stated of the staff’s mindset heading into Recreation 6. “We needed to come out with the best mentality after a win, and we did that. We need to do the identical [in Game 6], shut it out at house.”

That is solely Tatum’s fifth NBA season, however his third East finals. It is the fourth for Brown in six seasons, and the fourth for Sensible in eight. It is each a reminder of how a lot playoff expertise Boston’s younger core has collectively, and the way onerous it’s to make it to that last step.

The Celtics hope their experiences can be sufficient to organize them for the most important recreation of their lives Friday, once they’ll have an opportunity to punch their ticket again to the Finals.

Like that Thunder staff, the Celtics seem like a gaggle that could possibly be positioned for an prolonged run of excellence. Seven of Boston’s high eight rotation gamers are between the ages of 23 and 28 (Horford, 35, is the lone exception). 5 of them are 25 and beneath.

If Boston does attain the Finals, Tatum and Brown will grow to be the fourth 25-and-under tandem to take action whereas main their staff in scoring prior to now 40 years, in line with the Elias Sports activities Bureau.

The opposite three? Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson with the Houston Rockets in 1986, Shaquille O’Neal and Anfernee Hardaway with the Orlando Magic in 1995 and Durant and Westbrook in 2012.

None of these tandems made it again a second time.

“We obtained a possibility to do one thing with this group that is particular,” Brown stated. “So let’s not take that as a right. Let’s come out Friday on our house ground, and play the most effective model of basketball we performed all season.”