Before winning a ring, Boston was subjected to peculiar levels of scrutiny and doubt. Each loss was a sign of cracks in the armor, and an opportunity to diminish their accomplishments.
One of the many baseless claims to gain traction during last year’s title run came from Boston Celtics superfan Udonis Haslem.
“They haven’t been battle-tested. I don’t know if that’s a good thing to get battle-tested in the Finals…That might be too late to get battle-tested.” said Haslem.
This was of course, completely nonsensical, but it didn’t stop people from running with it. Objectively, there was no team more battle-tested than Boston. The core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Al Horford had been through countless deep (and stressful) playoff runs, with Derrick White joining them later on for a few more. Jrue Holiday already had a ring with Milwaukee, too.
The idea that winning each series in 5 or less games was somehow a bad thing never added up, and it impressively managed to ignore everything leading up to that point.
Derrick White brought up the chatter he heard about the Celtics not being “battle-tested” before the Finals.
“I’m like, what do you think the last two years were? Do they not mean nothing?”
— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) June 18, 2024
While Haslem’s take was pointed in the wrong direction, experience is historically a great indicator of the eventual NBA champion. Being battle-tested matters a lot, but it doesn’t need to be in that same playoff run. The good news is that Haslem seems to have rethought his philosophy here.
The only thing that last year’s Celtics lacked was players that had crossed the finish line. Charles Lee and Sam Cassell brought that to the coaching staff, but Holiday was the only player with a ring. By bringing back nearly all of last season’s roster, every member of the rotation knows exactly what it takes. This is Boston’s superpower.
Every single team they meet, the Celtics will have an overwhelming experience advantage. They’ve felt every type of pressure the bright lights of the postseason can offer. Their opponents are either just getting started, or haven’t been together long enough to reach the same heights.
Boston’s stars have faced demoralizing losses, fought back from elimination, and finished the job. There’s no way to prepare for the emotions of a nationally televised playoff game headed down to the wire unless you’ve lived through it.
This was the big separator in the Pacers series last year where Boston’s unflinching confidence and ability to execute in the clutch allowed them to close out every single game.
It’s also a reason why despite the OKC Thunder’s undeniably dominant season, they’re going to have to prove they’re capable, just like the Celtics did. If Boston were to meet OKC in the Finals, the experience gap would be quite large.
There’s a lot of work to be done between now and June, but the Celtics are familiar with that work. The entire rotation understands the sacrifice, mental fortitude, and physical toll that a title demands of you.
That is an advantage that can’t be game planned for.
