By PlayoffNerk
The Boston Celtics have faced many obstacles in their franchise history. The 1961-62 Lakers, where Elgin Baylor scored 61 points in Game 5 and won the series in 7, or in 1985-86 when the Celtics went up against a young Hakeem Olajuwon, who averaged 24.7 ppg, 11.8 rpg, and 3.2 bpg. However, with toughness and a prime Larry Bird, they were able to secure the championship in 6 games.
So what's different? Why do we need to talk about the Celtics going against obstacles and roadblocks if their history proves they can? Well, it starts with the way the game has evolved. With the amount of talent that's in the league today, it's almost impossible to repeat. With only the Warriors, who won in the 2017 and 2018 seasons in the past 8 years, they had 2-time MVP Steph Curry and 1-time MVP Kevin Durant, along with Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, who have a combined 9 All-Star appearances. The league has evolved so much that it's almost impossible to win a championship without at least 2 certified stars on your team, and with that, it's really hard to win back-to-back. So what's stopping the Celtics from going back-to-back? Is it the amount of talent around the league? Is it injury concerns within the team itself? Well, today I will talk about everything that I think is a roadblock to the Celtics' success in becoming back-to-back champions.
The Injury Concerns:
The Boston Celtics' main problem since organizing this team from the start of the 2023-2024 NBA season has been the injury concerns, especially surrounding Kristaps Porzingis. KP has only played a total of 38 games this season (2024-25) so far, the least amount of games he has played since the 2021-22 NBA season when he was suffering from a serious knee problem dating back to the previous season. With KP's injury history and missing around half the games this season, you wonder if we can win without him. Well, we did it last year, but that brings me to my next roadblock for the Celtics: the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cleveland Cavaliers:
With an unexpected Cleveland Cavaliers team at the top of the league, with the league's 2nd best record of 60-15 so far, you wonder if they can conquer the Cavs. With the Cavs' fearsome frontcourt that consists of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, who are both having arguably their best career seasons so far, you wonder if, without a healthy KP, a small ball lineup with a frontcourt that will consist of Jayson Tatum and Al Horford can compete with theirs. Donovan Mitchell has been the leader for this storming Cavs team, averaging 24 ppg, 4.9 apg, and 4.5 rpg. They also have a player who took an expected offensive leap in their big man Evan Mobley, who is having the best offensive season of his career so far, averaging 18.6 ppg. He is also 5th in the league in bpg with 1.6, which also brings me to his frontcourt partner Jarrett Allen, who is currently 12th in the NBA in rpg with 10.0 and is having one of the best offensive rating seasons of his career with a 108.0 DRTG. Now, one main issue with them and their matchup with the Celtics is their small backcourt. With Darius Garland at the point guard position and Donovan Mitchell at shooting guard, you wonder if, going against a mismatch-hunting team like the Celtics, they can find a defensive scheme to compensate for their lack of size and defensive effectiveness in their backcourt. But that's not the only roadblock the Celtics will have to face; there's also a young team out west with a potential MVP winner and a team full of young talent that has taken over the league.
The Oklahoma City Thunder:
OKC this season has a league-best record with a 63-12 record, with everyone on their team having their best offensive seasons in their careers so far. SGA is also having one of the most dominant offensive seasons from a guard ever, being the favorite to win MVP this season. He is about to finish the season leading the league in scoring with 32.9 ppg, while also averaging 6.3 apg and 5.1 rpg. One thing I will say about Shai, even though he is having a historic season, is that he is leading the league in FT pg with 8.1, which famously in the playoffs, referees tend to swallow their whistles to have a better flow for the game. Now, it's not just Shai that makes this team elite; it's the players around him. Jalen Williams is having a career year, averaging 21.2 ppg and making his first All-Star team. Chet Holmgren, who has had injury concerns himself, has come alive this second half of the season, looking really promising for this young player with the playoffs coming up. But the real elite part of this team is their defense. Right now, they have a league-best defensive rating of 107.0 DRTG, and that all comes from the elite defenders they have on their team. Right now, J Dub has the best defensive rating in the league this season with a 106.8 DRTG, with Shai right behind him with a 106.8 DRTG. That's just their two young stars; they still have Chet in the frontcourt, who is a unicorn and has huge potential defensive upside alongside his frontcourt partner Isaiah Hartenstein, who is 7th in the NBA for RPG with 10. Their bench is also elite with Alex Caruso, who is a defensive-minded guard who has been terrorizing the league for 7 years. Also coming off the bench is Cason Wallace, who is 3rd in the NBA for SPG with 1.8. Now, what does this mean for the Celtics? Well, they basically have our recipe with a great superstar who can play both ends of the floor at an elite level. A second option who also plays both ends very well but also complements their partner very well and can take over the game if needed. We also have both teams with elite-level defensive guards and unicorns in their frontcourt who can shoot from anywhere on the floor. So, as you can see, these teams match up well against each other, which could cause some issues for the Celtics. If these two teams end up meeting in the finals, it could go either way, with both teams' defenses being at the top of the league. One thing I will say is the Thunder aren't the most reliant on 3s in their game plan, which doesn't work the best against a 3pt shooting-heavy team like the Celtics. Speaking of the Celtics and their shooting habits brings me to my last roadblock for the Celtics in their back-to-back aspirations: themselves.
The Boston Celtics:
The Celtics have a shooting problem. Now that might sound crazy to some fans given that we just won the championship with shooting the most 3s in the league in makes and attempts. But even with that, it has been our downfall in some games, especially not switching the offensive schemes fast enough. You also have to look at Tatum in the playoffs; he hasn't had the most efficient playoffs yet in his career. But with his playmaking leap he took again this year, we hope it can help him get out of the tough shots and get to his spots better. Brown was spectacular last playoffs, winning ECFMVP, and also winning the FMVP while playing excellent defense on the young offensive guard Luka Doncic. Brown also this season hasn’t been himself, having his worst shooting efficiency since his rookie season. His 3pt% this season is at 32%; you wonder if he will step it up when the playoffs come around. He also has had his injury concerns, dealing with a right knee posterior impingement. The bench also has its questions. Peyton Pritchard, who has taken a big offensive leap this season, is also leading in the race for 6MOTY. But what about the playoffs and defensively? With the Celtics bench consisting of Al Horford, Peyton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, and Luke Kornet, you can't help but question the defense. The outlier is Horford, who has been looking young these past few months and has been keeping up defensively. Pritchard and Hauser have flaws. Pritchard has been dropping off in the playoffs in all categories efficiency-wise, and Hauser has been getting picked on defensively, especially by crafty guards like Mitchell and SGA. Now, with the Celtics having such a dominant 6-man rotation offensively and defensively, you wonder if, with injury concerns, the others off the bench can step up to the plate and help with the back-to-back aspirations.
With these roadblocks in the way of the Celtics from going back to back, you can see and understand how hard it is to go back to back in the league today. The Celtics will come across some external struggles with a potential Cavs' dominant frontcourt and Donovan Mitchell's clutch factor. It can also be the Thunder's offensive onslaught with SGA potentially being more crafty than ever. In my opinion, the real roadblock is internal, with KP's injury concerns, or even the bench's next man up potential and if they can hold their own defensively. Whatever it is, they will have to overcome it if they want to get it done, and the only way to find out is to wait and watch.
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