On Thursday night time, the Boston Celtics clinched their playoff berth with a 127-112 win over the Phoenix Suns at TD Backyard, marking their league-leading 52nd win of the season. With out Kristaps Porzingis and on their third recreation in 4 nights, Boston pulled off a convincing win of their return to residence courtroom and swept the season collection towards Phoenix 2-0.
“You bought a middle making 5 to six 3s, that is robust to cease.”
Kevin Durant as Al Horford 6-of-10 from 3 in #Suns loss to #Celtics.
Boston 25-of-50 from 3 to mark most 3-point try, makes Phoenix has allowed this season.
“They only know the numbers and simply beat us at math.” pic.twitter.com/0p8G1VH9Bf
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) March 15, 2024
“You’ve acquired your heart making 5, 6 threes, that’s robust to cease,” stated Suns star Kevin Durant. “We prefer to pack the paint and maintain groups to outdoors photographs. Once they unfold you out and everyone on the courtroom can shoot, it’s robust to get into these positions…that’s the problem that this staff possesses, that everyone on the staff can shoot the three, and so they keep affected person on offense, and search for the three.”
Boston acquired an enormous efficiency out of Al Horford with Porzingis sidelined, because the veteran chipped in 24 factors on 8-of-14 capturing (6-of-10 from deep) towards Phoenix. The efficiency marked a season excessive for the Celtics’ elder statesman, and gave one other shining instance of how lucky this staff is to have the depth they possess. As a collective, the staff shot 25-of-50 from past the arc, marking a season-high in opponent makes and makes an attempt for the Suns.
“That’s simply the secret,” stated Durant, “Particularly in at this time’s league, you’ll be able to’t simply give them each shot on the basket, you’ll be able to’t simply give any staff 50 threes, they’re simply going to out-math you. I believe they simply know the numbers and simply beat us at math. Shoot extra threes, and when you’re scorching that night time, you’re going to have a giant win.”
That’s some excessive reward from a expertise like KD, particularly with the Celtics having some lofty objectives for this season. It definitely wasn’t the one time that Durant has thrown reward in direction of Boston, and he’s by no means shied away from lifting up Jayson Tatum as probably the greatest gamers within the league. Earlier than their Thursday night time matchup, Durant named Tatum as one of many subsequent faces of the league with the power of operating the NBA for the following decade.
With regards to Durant and Boston, there’s been a “What If?” issue at play for fairly a while. From Danny Ainge being fined for sitting subsequent to Durant’s mom at Texas video games practically 20 years in the past to the ill-fated assembly in The Hamptons with a facet of Tom Brady, KD and Boston’s fates have been intertwined for years. Kyrie Irving’s again room pitch to Durant on the All-Star Recreation sealed their partnership in Brooklyn and Irving’s messy Celtics departure, and their loss by the hands of the Celtics throughout Boston’s 2022 Finals run basically ended these new age Nets.
The chance to lastly be a part of collectively arose as soon as extra, after the 2021-22 season, when Kevin Durant formally requested a commerce from the Brooklyn Nets throughout the offseason. Instantly, the Celtics turned one of many groups anticipated to be in on the Slim Reaper. Regardless of coming recent off their first NBA Finals look since 2010, the commerce narrative surrounding Jaylen Brown for Kevin Durant rapidly gathered steam.
Followers and analysts alike had been at one another’s throats, each for and towards the transfer from a Celtics perspective; anybody who adopted basketball was weighing in on the potential blockbuster. Whereas retaining the established order on a staff two wins shy of an NBA title is logical, the enchantment of including a generational expertise like Kevin Durant was really tempting.
After a second commerce request and a complete collapse from Brooklyn, Durant landed in Phoenix on the commerce 2022-2023 deadline for a bevy of picks and gamers. New Phoenix Suns proprietor Matt Ishbia, who had purchased the staff in December of 2022, made an instantaneous splash by buying Durant, and doubled down on the transfer by swinging one other blockbuster deal for Bradley Beal that summer time.
It’s attention-grabbing to look again and surprise what may have been, and the way in which that each of those franchises turned out relating to their choices on Kevin Durant. Whereas the Boston Celtics in the end did shake up their roster after developing quick final postseason, their strikes didn’t decimate their depth or value them too closely. Sure, buying and selling Marcus Sensible damage, as did buying and selling Robert Williams, however it was essential to push the Celtics roster to a brand new degree. After buying and selling for each Durant and Beal in a span of six months, the Suns despatched out a mixed eight first spherical picks along with skills like Mikal Bridges and DeAndre Ayton.
This was the definition of a schedule loss for the Celtics. They landed at 5:30am yesterday after taking part in three video games in 4 nights to finish a 10-day street journey. Then, with out Porzingis, hosted a rested Suns staff that had its whole Massive 3 wholesome and wanted a W.
Boston received by 15. pic.twitter.com/F6zLSCioy8
— Marc D’Amico (@Marc_DAmico) March 15, 2024
Each the Celtics and Suns share the aim of profitable an NBA championship, and each have fallen quick within the Finals. After a letdown season in 2022, Phoenix swung for the fences and gutted their roster out for a shorter title window. Boston selected to lock up Jaylen Brown long-term, and after making the robust transfer of buying and selling heart-and-soul chief Marcus Sensible, the staff introduced in a real third star in Kristaps Porzingis, and he’s meshed virtually seamlessly with the Celtics.
Brad Stevens managed so as to add a star participant at a place of want with out utterly emptying the cabinet, whereas the Suns are all-in on their trio of Durant, Beal and Devin Booker. One staff is main the complete league in report, whereas the opposite is at present slotted to be within the Play-In Event.
It’s essential to recollect how vastly completely different the result may have been for the Boston Celtics if that they had chosen the Durant path (and even the Beal path). If that they had, not solely would Porzingis doubtless not be in Celtics inexperienced, however Jaylen Brown and Derrick White wouldn’t be on the roster. Who is aware of how it might have modified the strategy from the remainder of the groups within the East.
As Irving as soon as quoted, “comparability is the thief of pleasure,” however with regards to the Celtics and Suns, it’s unimaginable not to consider how various things would’ve been.
