For a while, the Eastern Conference finals pointed to the Boston Celtics emerging as the victor, which would have set up an epic NBA Finals showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers. But the dream battle did not materialize as the Cs were turned back by the Miami Heat. So, what went wrong?
That question was automatic because there was no clue that Miami's stint in the playoffs will run deep. And Boston was the more solid team both on paper and on the floor. The Celtics lost and analysts said they bowed down to the underdog team.
Making sense of the outcome, Boston president Danny Ainge could not pinpoint what exactly prevented the outcome that his club had hoped for. Ainge said there is no issue with chemistry and insisted that the players are sold to a positive culture. True, the squad played to win games and possibly the NBA title this season but the collective efforts poured proved not enough.
If there is a glitch to be cited, Ainge allowed that some players were hobbled by injury issues. A case in point is Kemba Walker and the GM said the star was not in his full elements during the bubble games in Orlando.
"Watching the games, even the games we won, even the games where he played well, I could tell he wasn't the same physically as he was," ESPN reported the Boston executive as saying.
To be fair, Walker started dealing with a knee problem in January and the struggle stretched through the rest of the season. Ainge himself admitted that the player was spectacular from October to December 2019, and hoped the Celtics will see the same level of play from the point guard when the Boston campaign resumes.
Moving forward, Boston will certainly make changes in the offseason for a better finish season. On this, Clutch Points offered four suggestions that the team management could consider.
The first bench improvement from head coach Brad Stevens has to be the acquisition of a regular big man for the roster. If this will be acted upon in the weeks to come, the report pointed to Rudy Gobert as a strong candidate, who can boost the Celtics' cause offensively and defensively.
The Celtics could also use a bench upgrade that will bring consistency to the lineup. As pointed out by Ainge, Walker had to manage his injury and the same happened to Gordon Hayward. Having a solid roster will not necessarily derail the team's gameplay if good players are ready to step for the injured stars.
Boston will also do well attracting veterans for short- and long-term results. To do this, the team will need to make use of their draft pick assets and they are aplenty going into the offseason.
Lastly, Ainge should consider upgrading the coaching staff. No, Stevens need not go but he can work better having an experienced assistant to his side, somebody in the mold of Mark Jackson, Stan Van Gundy, or Alvin Gentry, the report said.
