Former Celtic Says Boston Had 'Easiest Run Ever' to a Championship

Rob Greene | Sep 22, 2024

Oct 26, 2010; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics center Shaquille O'Neal (36) works the ball during the first half against Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh (left) at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

Shaquille O’Neal and Udonis Haslem added themselves to the group of talking heads in the media expressing how unimpressed they were by the Boston Celtics path to their 18th championship.

“We all know that Boston had the easiest run ever to that championship,” said O’Neal on the OGs Show.

Udonis Haslem, a Miami Heat lifer who spent much of his career clashing with the Celtics, immediately agreed with him.

“Can they back it up?" O'Neal questioned. "That’s all. Ok, you had an easy run. It don’t matter. You won. Can you back it up?”

Did the Celtics have the easiest path to the NBA finals ever? 🤔

Watch full episode here: https://t.co/dGJfPnPozv pic.twitter.com/QhA7zbcD5c

— The OGs Show (@theOGsShow) September 21, 2024

The notion of Boston’s easy path comes from the fact that each of their Eastern Conference Playoff opponents had a star unavailable in that series. Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and Tyrese Haliburton all missed some if not the entire series against the Celtics.

The fact of the matter is that winning 80 games and having a dominant and historic 16-3 run in the postseason certainly is not easy. Especially when previous Celtics teams prior to this year were notorious for playing with their food and playing down to competition.

Boston was undefeated on the road in the 2024 playoffs until a Game 4 loss to the Mavericks in the NBA Finals. They also dealt with injury, playing without Kristaps Porzingis for most of the postseason. The C's starting center appeared in just seven playoff contests.

Boston had one of the best net ratings and one of the most efficient offenses in NBA history. Even if the Pacers, Heat and Cavaliers had their stars, the Celtics' two-way dominance throughout the 2023-24 campaign suggests it most likely would not have been enough to top them in a best-of-seven.  

Now, as O'Neal, who ended his career in Boston, noted, the question is, what will the Celtics do as a follow-up act to raising Banner 18 to the TD Garden rafters?

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