The Boston Celtics just cannot seem to get out of their own way, man.
They are very clearly a more talented, bigger, faster, physical team than these Golden State Warriors they’re playing in the Finals. Yet, somehow when the game seems won, they always seem to let up.
If not for a massive Steph Curry outburst then the Celtics are probably up 3-1 in the series. Yet, here they are. Going back to Golden State for a best of 3 series tied 2-2. And it probably shouldn’t be this way.
They beat themselves. Again. The Celtics had 15 against the Warriors in Game 4.
When you dig into the stats, the Celtics are averaging 16.6 turnovers per game in losses this postseason while they’re averaging just 12.8 in their 14 wins so far.
That’s self-inflicted. They’re making things harder on themselves. Jayson Tatum was asked why the Celtics do that. Which, honestly, is a great question. But probably one that most players would bristle at.
Tatum didn’t, though. Instead, he gave a completely honest and relatable answer to it. Which, basically, was they’re not trying to. It just happens.
"We don't do this s*** on purpose"
Jayson Tatum on making things harder than they need to be pic.twitter.com/61BWZpjlRq
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) June 11, 2022
“We don’t do this [expletive] on purpose. I promise you we don’t. We trying as hard as we can…Would we have liked to win today and be up 3-1? That would’ve been the best case scenario, but it’s the Finals.”
I FEEL that, man. Seriously. That’s hilarious. But it’s also such a real response that puts things in a bit of perspective for the Celtics.
These are the NBA Finals, man. This is hard. A lot of these players are playing on this big stage for the first time. That matters.
We’ve all encountered scenarios like this. Not playing in the NBA Finals, obviously, but in life. We’ve hit walls and made mistakes that we’ve had to learn from. That’s what makes us better.
Could their mistakes cost the Celtics the series? Absolutely. But, we have to remember that they’re learning in real time.
It’s always important to keep that perspective in mind.
