Are you not entertained by the Boston Celtics?

Content warning: I’m going to talk about narratives which some people find tedious, annoying, or outright offensive. If you are one such person, I would completely understand if you moved on to one of the many well written articles on this site that actually matter.

The NBA, when it boils down to it, is entertainment. We are the consumers and we pay for the service of being entertained. The media (which includes this blog) is a symbiotic industry that both profits off the sports it covers but also directly contributes to the promotion of the product.

Of course, the outcome of each game is interesting enough. But to pull in even bigger audiences, you have to sell different narratives. To wit, there’s a reason why reality TV shows have a cast of writers. Stories sell.

All of which leads me to this statement: Right now, the NBA community at large is completely underwhelmed with the Boston Celtics.

ESPN’s Zach Lowe used the words “unsatisfying” and “consternation” (I believe he was referencing the general feeling towards the Celtics, not necessarily his own take).

Of course Twitter has been all over the map with their criticisms of the Celtics, in part because Twitter is what Twitter does. But also because there’s been something about this team that the greater NBA crowd just isn’t in to.

Danny Chau of The Ringer dedicated an entire article to this subject. Here’s one snippet.

This Celtics run has been a protracted state of awaiting—for fans, for detractors, for the team itself. Call it joyless, call it the easiest path to the NBA Finals in four decades, and Celtics fans might rush in to defend, but in an obligatory manner befitting an older sibling defending their kid brother more than an outright denial. They have the birthright to cast aspersions; you don’t. What we can all agree on is that it feels like only a matter of time before the Celtics reach their destiny as the Eastern representative in the Finals. There is a distinct void at the heart of that sentiment: Whatever it is, it isn’t sports, really. It’s clock-watching.

I have several thoughts on all of this. Let’s break them down into categories.

Who Cares?

I mean no offense to Danny or the NBA media. I’m not even addressing the trolls. I love The Ringer and appreciate Danny’s work. Also, this isn’t nihilism (though it may have a hint of Ecclesiastes). I just try to have a healthy outlook on what matters to me as a Celtics fan. If this is all boring and underwhelming to everyone else, oh well. I just don’t care.

A year from now, five years from now, five decades from now, nobody will remember the narratives. They will only remember the results. If this team is fortunate enough to win it all, “banners fly forever.” If they don’t, then there will be a huge debate over just how disappointing that is and what needs to be done next. That in itself is entertainment enough. One way or the other, this team is going to be part of a huge story this year.

Lose-Lose Position

The Celtics earned the number one seed. Everything else about their playoff matchups has been out of their control. Key injuries to star players has led to underwhelming opponents and presumed contenders falling out of the race.

Boston is thus put in a no-win position. If they struggle or lose a game, then they are suspect or frauds. If they win in dominating fashion, they are boring and did what they should have done, and so what?

Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images

Contrasting Criticisms

This is where it really gets ludicrous (thanks Mr. Cris!). The criticisms either overlap or outright contradict each other. Forgive the following straw man’s. It’s intended to represent narratives that are out there, even if it is “just on Twitter.”

The Celtics are boring when they win big and haven’t proven they can win close games.

The Celtics are winning close games, but they should be winning big.

Tatum isn’t a star if he can’t take over games and put up big numbers.

Tatum is putting up big numbers, but it isn’t top-5 in the league. “He’s just not.” (My least favorite debate closing statement.)

Sure, the Celtics have been to the ECF 6 out of the last 8 years, but clearly they can’t win the big one.

Sure, Luka, Embiid, and SGA haven’t even sniffed “the big one,” but they are clearly better. They just are!

The Play is the Thing

One thing I think Danny nailed in his piece is the whole aspect of “awaiting.” There was nothing that the Celtics could do this year that would fully erase the looming narrative that they “can’t win the big one.” Last year’s team earned that narrative by losing to the Heat.

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

It seemed like the only way to shake that would be to see how they performed in the playoffs. But the first two rounds of underwhelming opponents hasn’t even given us that yet. So, the Celtics have to keep proving who they are, regardless of the competition put in front of them.

I’ll stop short of calling this wasting time. The team is learning lessons every day. The Heat and the Cavs have pushed the Celtics in different ways. There will be more tests and challenges in the next round as well.

However, it really boils down to the Finals. That is where the real story of this season will be told. Maybe the story will be that they aren’t even in the Finals because they once again lost to an underdog team in the ECF. Maybe the story will be that they fought valiantly, but ultimately lost to a better Western Conference team. Or maybe we’ll have our banner and all of these narratives will be forgotten forever.

One Step at a Time

Before we get there, we have to go through the steps that get us there. Soon enough this season will be over and we’ll have a whole summer to look back and reflect on the outcome. So, for the moment, how about we sit back and enjoy the show.