BOSTON – The Boston Celtics understand that the path to Banner 18 is not an easy
trek. There are bumps along the way, but that’s all part of the process they
must endure as they strive for their ultimate goal.
Boston hit one of those bumps Thursday night when it was eliminated from the
Playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Naturally, the players had sour tastes in
their mouths following the season-ending, 135-102 loss in Game 5 of the Eastern
Conference Finals.
It’s a taste that will likely stick with the Celtics for the next few months,
but coach Brad Stevens stresses to them that it will only get sweeter from
there.
“I told our guys, ‘We made a lot of great strides,’ ” Stevens relayed to the
media following Thursday’s game. ” ‘But this pain is part of the path to what we
ultimately want to be.’ ”
Boston began its journey four summers ago when it overhauled its roster by
cutting ties with veteran legends in order to pave the way for the future. A
lengthy rebuild was anticipated, but the Celtics have exceeded expectations with
their rapid growth over the last four seasons under Stevens.
The first year of the rebuild was the toughest. The C’s finished near the bottom
of the standings during the 2013-14 season and missed the Playoffs for the first
time in seven years.
From there, things have only trended upward in Boston.
The Celtics snuck into the 2015 Playoffs as the East’s seventh seed, then earned
the fifth seed the following postseason, and finally rose all the way up to the
No. 1 seed this postseason and made a run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
While Boston was unable to dethrone the defending NBA champions, Avery Bradley
believes that the series against Cleveland served as a vital stepping-stone for
the C’s.
“The great thing about this is the experience,” said Bradley, who has been with
Boston throughout its rebuild. “We were able to go to the Eastern Conference
Finals, learn a lot about being in this position, and I feel like it’s going to
help us for next year.”
Next year, the C’s should only be better. They will make the No. 1 pick in the
draft, they will have the opportunity to bolster their roster in free agency,
and their young, talented core will continue to develop along the way.
“The sky’s the limit for this team if we’re able to keep together core guys and
add some new pieces,” said Bradley. “I feel like (president of basketball
operations) Danny Ainge and our entire organization do a great job of putting
the right guys together to help us be a contender for a championship.”
The key to contending is having a relentless, yearlong approach. Stevens
describes it as a “holistic commitment.”
“It’s the way you eat, it’s the way you sleep, it’s the way you treat your body
in the offseason, it’s how hard you work at the little things you need to do
better,” said the coach. “But more importantly, it’s what you do best, and
perfecting those things.”
The Celtics will take a few weeks off to recover and collect themselves, but
then it’s back to work. Stevens is counting on his players to grind through the
summer so that they’re ready to take one step further next season on their quest
to Banner 18.
“When they come back, the expectation is everybody is a little bit better,” said
Stevens. “And that goes for me and the rest of the coaches, too. I don’t think
anybody in there is satisfied, which is a good thing.”
The only thing that would satisfy the Celtics is winning it all. They know they
have a lot of work to do to reach that goal. They understand that there may
still be a few bumps on the road ahead. But when they trip over those bumps, the
C’s will get back up, brush off their wounds and continue along their way.
Pain is just part of the path.
Sour will soon turn into sweetness.
Player: Avery Bradley
Media Content:
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Media Keywords: NBA, Sports, Boston Celtics, Avery Bradley, Brad Stevens, Boston
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