A loaded Celtics team faced a hidden challenge heading into the preseason: How would they manage the minutes when Al Horford wasn’t on the floor, given Kristaps Porzingis would be out until at least Christmas?
Maybe this guy?
The Celtics’ offensive strategy was well-balanced this season: – They ranked among the top 3 teams in three-point attempts – Simultaneously maintained a strong post presence (2nd in post-up attempts) – Led the league in post-up efficiency (1.13 PPP)
Queta doesn’t shoot threes, but he dunks. Like, a lot. In Boston’s first seven games, Queta dunked eight times in 97 minutes(!). Playing against a team lacking in size like Golden State, Queta feasted, dunking four times in 28 minutes in his largest stint of the season. Queta dominated with four dunks in 28 minutes, his longest playing time of the season.
Boston doesn’t need to be great in the paint to win. They do need to be a credible threat so when the defense collapses they aren’t discombobulated when the threes aren’t falling and they’re being blocked from the basket.
Last season backup center Luke Kornet played the role as an effective stop-gap big man. He was a steady presence, able to use his long arms to disrupt offenses by effectively protecting the rim and jumping to block the shooters view of the basket, which became nominally known as the “Kornet Contest.” However, his ability to score efficiency fell off. His previous mark of 70% from the field now sits at 58%.
Queta: – Opponents shoot 59% from 6 feet – 5.7 attempts per game
Kornet: – Opponents shoot 62% from 6 feet – 4.4 attempts per game
The trade-offs between Queta and Kornet are: Kornet is longer, can cause disruption on the defensive side more effectively than Queta. Queta is way more athletic and provides an energy reminiscent to Robert Williams. Dunks are among the most valuable shots in the modern NBA, and Queta possessing the ability to bulldoze his way to the basket at will is a helluva ace to have up your sleeve.
Queta, not Tatum or White or Jaylen Brown, is Boston’s leader in net rating this season at plus-20.2. Sitting prettily above Shai-Gilgeous Alexander at 7th on the net rating rankings. A lot of this has to do with Tatum’s effectiveness with the all-bench lineup, where the fruits of Joe Mazzulla’s brand of basketball really takes shape. Generating clean open looks from beyond the arc, that also makes the paint more accessible for players like Queta to capitalize off lobs and PnRs.
Given these promising early returns from Queta’s performance, there’s strong reason to believe he’ll provide excellent value on his current contract. If Queta can merely do what Kornet did last season and keep the team afloat in the dog days, he’ll exceed the value of his small $2.2 million contract.
2.4 million USD is 2,252,886.51 Euros in Queta’s native Portugal
Vinny Jace appears on the Entitled Weekend podcast. He does not live in Albufiera.
Our Intern Street Team was out and about over the weekend asking the locals, “What are you going as for Halloween?” That went so well we sent them out again.
Liam C. – “The Invisible Man. or Playoff Aaron Judge.”
Our Intern Street Team was out and about over the weekend asking the locals, “What are you going as for Halloween?”
Henry Freeman, Guidance Counselor – “An Olneyville NY System Weiner.”
Joey K. – “Jackson Lamb from ‘Slow Horses’.”
Jenna van den Bergh, Philosopher/Entrepreneur -“A Spirit Halloween Storefront. Iknow; very meta.”Herold J. – “Imposter Syndrome,” Chase L. – “A Zesty Outfielder.”
Zelda Hemingway, homemaker – “A Lexus Techstream Data Recorder.”
Barry Ward, Ornithologist – “Dana Hersey.”
Echo Nillsen, Artist – “Sue O’Connell’s perceived intelligence.”
Glyph Pictogram, Musician – “A giant tub of Marshmallow Fluff.”
Charity Fujitsu, Caterer – “Lady Mariko from Shogun. Or that Australian breakdancer.”
Kayla C. – “Mirror in the Slideshow-Era Taylor Swift. Or Wednesday Addams.”
Dallas Souza, Delivery Driver – “A Stainless Steel Rat.”Molly S. – “A threatening bookmark.”Alyssa Wodehouse, Student, – “Lydia, from Beetlejuice’. Or that breakdancer from the Olympics.“
Nelly Bhattacharya, Marketer – “Nibi the Educational Beaver.”
Ethel Bok, Medical Device Sales – “Sexy Green Goblin”
Clare Bonser, tourist – “Raygun, the Aussie breakdancer, who else?”
Foxborough, MA – The New England Patriots are on a perfectly executed path to future dominance at the quarter mark of the 2024 season, and anyone who doubts this could be missing the bigger picture. Despite their current 2-6 record, which is simply a minor blip on their trajectory, the Patriots have laid the foundation for what will surely be a return to glory in the coming years. Head coach Jerod Mayo has created a master plan that emphasizes long-term growth, and we are seeing the early stages of a renaissance!
First, let’s talk about the defense. Christian Gonzalez and Keion White are emerging as superstar talents. Gonzalez has been a shutdown corner, neutralizing some of the league’s top wide receivers, and White is already one of the best pass rushers in the NFL with four sacks in just four games, on par with elite defenders like Myles Garrett. It’s clear this defensive duo will lead the league for years to come.
Jerod The Inspiring is wearing The Pin. How can you do any less!?!
On offense, while some may criticize the passing game, the Patriots are playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers. Rhamondre Stevenson is a beast, leading a ground attack ranked 12th in the league, averaging 127 rushing yards per game. Forget the fumbles; that’s just the universe throwing obstacles in the path to greatness. With time, Stevenson’s ball security will match his explosive playmaking ability, making him one of the most feared backs in the NFL. Yes, the offensive line has had some hiccups, but that’s just part of the Patriots’ master plan to build resilience. The team is rotating through linemen at a breakneck pace, preparing for a future where no other franchise will be able to match their depth and versatility.
Jerod is Smart. S-M-R-T.
As for the quarterback situation, Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye are part of a visionary strategy designed to slowly but surely cultivate a future superstar. The Patriots aren’t concerned with short-term optics; they are focused on building a sustainable system that will once again make them perennial favorites in the AFC.
Mark it down—this team is on the brink of something special. Give them time, and they may soon reign over the AFC East again.
First the East, then the Conference, and then…who knows?
Note: Old Friend ‘Uncle Gizmo’ took a cue from a recent Entitled Town podcast. He input into ChatGPT: “I’d like to create a story in the current style of Albert Breer. It would be a glowing story about New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo and would use as its base Patriots media releases for the last month.” The first result wasJerod Mayo: The Emerging Leader Patriots Fans Always Needed.You just read the follow-up, written after NFL Week 5.
America loves a good story, fraught with adversity and culminating with redemption. Rising above the obstacles to accomplish something greater and to etch yourself in history for eternity. Redemption used to be the most illuminating part of an illustrious career. Bill Russell in 1968, Magic Johnson in 1985, LeBron in 2012. Athletes soaring to new heights after falling to their lowest point. The old veteran regaining his past glory. The face of the franchise haunted by humiliation comes back to put his demons to bed. The villain cutting through the chorus of boos to achieve what’s eluded him. What follows these moments of triumph is a reckoning from the detractors. A begrudging respect is formed, then admiration that drowns the voices of the past. Any remaining dissenters calling Magic Johnson “Tragic” or LeBron James a choke artist are, like Hiroo Onoda, hiding in the woods fighting a battle that long ago was loss.
Today it is considered incidental whether the script gets flipped. What was written will remain. In an era where you have superstars in various small markets, the allure of bigger markets is dimmer, yet you’ll find more animus for them rather than admiration. What is worse? To be hated or viewed with apathy? The Denver Nuggets won the title, the most team centric championship since the 1977 Portland Trail Blazers. Nikola Jokic dismantled Kevin Durant and LeBron with startling ease, playing like a 6’10 Larry Bird, acting as the fulcrum for a watch making sure all the pieces inside mesh together in perfect harmony. We used to celebrate pureness in basketball, promote team-friendly organizations that did not have the superstar who needed every little thing catered to them. But instead, they were treated with apathy and the immediate demand they’d do it again. Denver fans could only seek validation in their small, niche communities while outsiders glorified the opponents they slain.
A year later the narrative shifted away from anointing the team they collectively yawned at when they won the first time and searched high and low for a team to crown anyone but the league’s best. Players went through the superstar car wash, long exposés, and podcast segments dedicated to Anthony Edwards as if it was possible for a team to win the title when their best player is 22. The building up of stars only to tear them down and by the time they do climb the mountain all you remember is the negative moments.
(The only champion not subjected to this cruelty is the Kansas City Chiefs. Who, unlike their New England Patriots dynastic counterparts never face media scrutiny or fan fatigue. Just last month Patrick Mahomes threw a behind the back pass in a preseason game that awed fans. The Chiefs are lionized, their opponents serving as mere fodder and built up solely to heighten their sacrifice for the glory of the one true franchise.)
In the Era of The Hater, they must pick one or two instances where they do not hate to maximize the effect of hating while online. To contrast and compare, to trigger fans by demanding their favorite reach expectations one cannot possibility reach. Mahomes and LeBron are the gold standard and anyone else is mincemeat. Even as the NBA moves away from the LeBron era into one defined by parity it is still a stretch for many to accept many players have passed near 40-year-old superstar. To say you prefer a 26-year-old Jayson Tatum who plays every game, fresh off 3 straight First-Team All-NBAs and just won the title is considered asinine.
Good for you, Andrew.
We are in an era where the past effectively never dies and to even entertain a fresh new face could take over for an old one many take as a personal affront. The idea there is a future beyond the present, that a main player from our lives is somewhat replaceable is something this generation never had to face. There are no more movie stars, but brands. Brands last forever.
When you’re LeBron you’re not just a famous athlete like Dr. J or Magic or Bird. You’re a brand. No different from Microsoft, or Disney.The modern stars in basketball today will never come close to attaining this status and for that they’ll suffer. Generations of fans grew up idolizing Michael Jordan and thanks to the internet never have to let go. LeBron fans can continuously relive the glory days, have plenty of material to keep them sedated whenever the end does come, and will use him as a cudgel against players for at least fifty years.
One of the crowning moments of LeBron’s career was winning his first championship. Coming off the heels of The Decision and the 2011 season, in a gentler time the notion of a small market superstar leaving to join a bigger market to play with his best friends revolted us. Then he went to the Olympics, played on the greatest U.S basketball team and led them to the Gold as their best player. The summer of 2012 was the Summer of LeBron! Glowing headline after glowing headline. Segments not highlighting his failures, only lauding his accomplishments with promises of more to come.
Fast forward twelve years later and it’s become apparent fans and media aren’t geared to treat someone as a champion when they won one. Tatum’s career is one long story defined by overachieving when you consider the circumstances he was in. Rookie season, playing on a team missing two max salary players heading into the playoffs, out-dueled Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid. Then went toe-to-toe with LeBron in a seven-game set. Yet, all the buzz was around LeBron and for a brief moment it seemed Boston would win everyone collectively shrugged. It’s just not the NBA Finals if LeBron isn’t in it. Tatum was viewed as a casualty, not as an up and comer.
Then 2019 is a disaster, the deck is reshuffled and he’s recast from main player to bit role. 2020 in a year where the Celtics lost Kyrie Irving and Al Horford in free agency, Tatum cobbled together his first All-NBA season and brought a Celtics team with Gordon Hayward on one leg, Kemba Walker on no legs, and his centers are Daniel Theis and Enes Kanter to within two-games of crashing the finals.
Skip ahead two years later he goes on his best individual stretch from January to finish the 2022 campaign, out duels Kevin Durant, Giannis (again), gets revenge on Miami, but runs out of gas in the finals versus Golden State. The takeaway was “they’ll never make it back” and labeled as choke artist for not beating a dynasty when no one picked Boston over them.
After all the narratives, negative headlines and braindead tweets, the Celtics have finally obtained what can’t be taken away from them… and it feels like it’s being taken away from them? How? More importantly, why? Why aren’t can’t we celebrate a championship team with a fresh, young face anymore? We did it with Giannis in 2021 and have looked the other way as he hasn’t even reached round three since. Hater culture can forgive that, but not Tatum making five conference finals in seven seasons? Both won a title. You can say both relied on their co-star (which isn’t an insult), yet we memory hole how awesome Khris Middleton was in the 2021 playoffs, and found some way to both lionize Jaylen Brown’s 2024 while not giving him any credit either.
Tatum outplayed who is largely seen as the third best player in the world in Luka Doncic, then went to the Olympics and won his second gold medal and comes back to the States ridiculed? This can read like sour grapes, but I’m more befuddled than I am annoyed. “He’s only the SIXTH best player in the league!” is a real insult I’ve seen thrown around. What is used as insults and just accepted as valid criticisms is asinine to imagine as discourse ten-years ago.
It’s likely the Celtics won’t repeat as champions, as it’s difficult to have everything go right for you in a sport where if one thing goes wrong your season is effectively over. The 2024 Celtics are anomalous in that regard, as they loss Kristaps Porzingis on two occasions and still ended up winning the title. No team before them won a title without their third best player. Yet, that’s never mentioned as a feather in Tatum’s cap. The injuries other teams suffered only matter.
If by this time next year, the Celtics have secured Banner 19, it’ll be the most impressive repeat by a champion team ever. For now, the most dominant repeat championship team is arguably the 2001 Lakers. But that era of the NBA was weak. It’s just that team was too good to properly use the shallow talent pool as a way to nick them. But for teams to repeat when the talent pool was deep, the 1988 Lakers and 1992 Bulls sit on top. But the hypothetical 2025 Celtics wouldn’t be that far behind. And even if that happens, on top of Tatum making a fourth consecutive First Team All-NBA, wins the championship and the series MVP, the hating will continue because we are now married to our takes more than ever.
I bet the haters hate this.
Vinny Jace appears on the Entitled Weekend podcast. He does notlive in North Haverbrook.
Foxborough, MA – In a month where the New England Patriots have made headlines with roster shuffles and preseason preparations, one figure has remained a constant in the eyes of the team and its fans: Jerod Mayo. The former linebacker turned coach continues to evolve into a leadership role that many now believe is poised to become more than just defensive coordination — it’s a head coach in waiting. It’s no secret that Bill Belichick has long been grooming Mayo for greater things. Patriots media releases this past month have emphasized Mayo’s involvement not only in defensive schematics but in shaping the entire team’s culture. More than once, Belichick has praised his former Pro Bowler’s football acumen, referring to him as “one of the sharpest minds” to come through the Patriots’ system. But what’s been equally telling is the way Mayo carries himself in the locker room, stepping into a role that goes beyond X’s and O’s.
A Natural Leader
Patriots fans remember Mayo for his tenacity on the field, his ability to dissect offenses as if he were already coaching. Now, as a coach, his instincts are proving even more valuable. Media releases over the past month have highlighted Mayo’s increasing presence during practice, not just with the defense but across the entire roster. In one report, Mayo was seen working closely with young quarterbacks, helping them understand defensive coverages, showing his breadth of knowledge on both sides of the ball. This is where Mayo’s leadership shines. He’s not just building a defense — he’s building a football team. And that’s exactly what this Patriots squad needs in a season filled with question marks. At 37, Mayo is still relatively young by coaching standards, but his command of the locker room is undeniable. According to sources close to the team, players gravitate toward him in a way that reflects both respect and admiration. He’s part strategist, part motivator, and entirely a team-first guy.
The Belichick Blueprint
What makes Mayo’s rise so exciting for Patriots fans is the undeniable parallels to his mentor, Bill Belichick. Like Belichick, Mayo has a meticulous approach to the game. He’s known for breaking down film until the early hours of the morning, and it shows on the practice field. In the latest media release, Patriots personnel commented on how Mayo has taken on more responsibilities, particularly in developing game plans and overseeing all three phases of the game — not just the defense. The Belichick coaching tree is extensive, but few have had the opportunity to learn directly under the greatest coach of all time while playing and coaching. It’s this dual experience that separates Mayo. The Patriots are known for cultivating homegrown talent, and in many ways, Mayo is the epitome of that philosophy.
Subtle.
What’s Next?
So, what does the future hold for Jerod Mayo? It’s not a stretch to say that many around the league view him as a head coach in waiting. With Belichick’s career winding down, Mayo has increasingly become the face of the future in New England. And if the Patriots’ latest media releases are any indication, it’s a future that’s bright. In one interview last week, when asked about his ambitions, Mayo was predictably modest: “I’m just focused on helping this team win games.” But ask anyone in the Patriots organization, and they’ll tell you Mayo’s impact is already evident — and it’s just the beginning.
North Star!
Note: Old Friend ‘Uncle Gizmo’ took a cue from the latest Entitled Town podcast. He input into ChatGPT: “I’d like to create a story in the current style of Albert Breer. It would be a glowing story about New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo and would use as it’s base Patriots media releases for the last month.” The result is what you see above.
The Patriots are taking time out before and after practice to hand out messages to people who work at Gillette Stadium. The tiny cards have inspirational notes inside, and are autographed on the back. Just a way to let those who work at the stadium they are appreciated. pic.twitter.com/24oz1HChWU
Surveying the landscape, the ramifications of the second apron now in full effect; the restrictions and penalties are onerous and assist only the greediest and cheapest owners. Until circumstances change it is safe to assume dynasties are impossible. The last five champions are in variations of turmoil.
• The Los Angeles Lakers are shackled to LeBron and his various whims, are deep in the red and have no real avenue to contend in a younger, more talented western conference. • Milwaukee could have won another title in the years 2019, 2020 and 2022 when the team around Giannis was younger and better. But Fred VanVleet had a baby, swung the east finals series for Toronto. Jimmy Butler emasculated Giannis in The Bubble. Khris Middleton got hurt and was never the same. Now they are capped out, fired a very good regular coach in Mike Budenholzer, are rudderless at the head coach position and only have 3 actual NBA players. • All Golden State needed to do was hit one just ONE of their lottery picks from 2020 and 2021 they wouldn’t be in this mess. James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody could have easily been LaMelo Ball (I am not faulting them for not trading down for Tyrese Haliburton, nobody else did it), Franz Wagner or Alperen Sengun. Then they probably are able to get Paul George or Lauri Markkanen this summer instead of staring at the abyss of wasting the rest of Steph Curry’s career. • Denver should have repeated this past year, but as fate would have it blowing a 20-point lead in a home Game 7 was the toll price paid for last season’s success. Famously cheap owner Stan Kroenke let lynchpins Reggie Jackson and Kentavious Cardwell-Pope depart leaves Denver more vulnerable with an underwhelming bench and I’d go as far to say they have fallen a tier in my rankings. • And then there’s the sweet, beautiful boys in green… Wyc Grousbeck announced his intentions to sell and we’ll wait for the details to come, but if he hands the keys off to someone like Tillman Fertitta then we have to worry about cost cutting measures because someone rich enough to buy a professional basketball team didn’t have deep enough pockets to pay for it’s roster.
The NBA has become the NFL. Strangling dynasties in their cradle, turning the window of contention into a revolving door. In reality the window for title contenders are usually two measly years. The Celtics fortunately held on to nearly everyone from the title team; we’re still waiting to hear about Oshae Brissett and if there are any ring chasers looking for a spot.
Wrong aprons.
The draconian rules of the second apron have set the NBA on the course for potentially becoming Major League Baseball, undermining the bargaining power of the players by instituting harsh penalties for spending too much. If a player feels he isn’t being respected at the negotiating table because the team doesn’t want to enter the second apron, then what if the other teams he goes to share that same fear? This is what we’ll see unfold in the near future.
In this new era it is arguably preferable for a team like the Clippers to let Paul George walk for nothing, because now nothing is something. Nothing is a mid-level exception you can use to sign a free agent. Nothing is some much needed financial wiggle room that takes you out of the deep red and into a light shade of orange. Los Angeles could have traded George to Golden State for a solid, young player like Jonathan Kuminga and veteran backup point guard Chris Paul and chose not to. If this was 10-years ago the Clippers would admit defeat and look to reposition their aging roster in an advantageous position to sell for parts, garnering assets along the way.
Right now the Celtics are paying over $547 million for their championship roster. Having made Jayson Tatum the richest player in league history; surpassing his teammate Jaylen Brown who achieved this honor last summer. Speaking of which, his supermax officially kicks in this upcoming season, Tatum’s will in 2025-26. They’re over $66 million over the cap, $15 million above the first apron and are $5 million above the second.
The penalties for crossing the second apron are both Byzantine and draconian:
No signing exceptions Team becomes hard-capped at Second Apron by or can’t use/do: • Using Tax MLE • Aggregating two or more player salaries in a trade • Sending out cash in trade • Acquiring a player using a TPÈ that was created via a previous sign-and-trade • Can only: • Re-sign own free agents • Sign draft picks • Sign players to minimum contracts • Make trades where one player salary is sent out and equal or less salary comes back (can do a 1-for-2 or more trade
One doesn’t have to look to far to surmise the possible reason Wyc Grousbeck is selling his shares because when the bill comes due he wants no part of the aftermath and it’s not like pulling the plug now is an option. The Celtics are well worth their hefty salary and are poised to repeat in the minds of oddsmakers in Las Vegas. To preserve the runway now is to obliterate a proven near term future. Wyc will not do what Clay Bennett did to Oklahoma in 2012 and trade a star player just to duck the luxury tax.
However, when the Celtics do find themselves too far in the red it is safe to assume the ramifications will be ugly. This means potentially breaking up the Jays, either in a gut-wrenching trade where the Celtics pursue assets and cap relief rather than a “win-now” player, or a divorce similar to what Klay Thompson and the Warriors just went through. One side chasing another monumental pay day, and a withering dynasty consumed with apathy for one of its signature players.
But that’s all future Celtics problems. The hope I have is Wyc cares enough about the Celtics to not sell his shares in the immediate term and instead do it when the bill is coming due. It would be more profitable to sell now, give the team over to some cheap billionaire who’ll cry poor and in a year breaks the team down to spare parts. But maybe Wyc hangs on and lets Brad Stevens write the checks even if it decreases the value of the sale?
The pressure is on the Celtics, like it was this past season, to get the job done (again) and try to accomplish what would be the most impressive back-to-back championship in league history. There are plenty of reasons to assume it won’t happen, and a lot of them happen to be out of the Celtics control. This was the second straight playoffs where the championship team didn’t play a fifty-win team en route to the finals. Everything for the Celtics broke their way, and just like the 2015 Golden State Warriors made the most of their opportunities, you can expect the following playoffs to be more strenuous.
Of the last 9 teams to go back-to-back only one of them repeated with the same ease like they won in the first go-around.
1986-87 Lakers: 15-3
1987-88 Lakers: 15-9 (3 Game 7s!)
1988-89 Pistons: 15-2
1989-90 Pistons: 15-5
1990-91 Bulls: 15-2
1991-92 Bulls: 15-7
1993-1994 Rockets: 15-8
1994-1995 Rockets: 15-7
1995-96 Bulls: 15-3
1996-97 Bulls: 15-4
1999-00 Lakers: 15-8
2000-01 Lakers: 15-1
2008-09 Lakers: 16-7
2009-2010 Lakers: 16-7
2011-12 Heat: 16-7
2012-13 Heat: 16-7
2016-17 Warriors: 16-1
2017-18 Warriors: 16-5
⁃ 4 repeat champions where the difficulty on the back-half was comparable to the first part. ⁃ 1 repeat champion had an easier road to than the first time. ⁃ 4 repeat champions where the journey was harder on the back half.
We haven’t seen a repeat champion since Golden State. Every champion since fell into a decline two-years removed from their moment of triumph. Toronto nearly made the East Finals in 2020, then twiddled their thumbs as players like Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam depreciated in value; Lowry and VanVleet leaving in free agency for nothing. The complacency bug bit their general manager Masai Ujiri.
LeBron’s Lakers won off the backs of two-way role players, and evidently he found that too boring and ordered the front office to go dumpster diving for the highest scoring free agent they could find. Trading Danny Green for Dennis Schroder when they already had Kentavious Cardwell-Pope as the creator on the second unit. Low-balling Alex Caruso. Trading KCP and Kyle Kuzma for Russell Westbrook. Then trading Westbrook for D’Angelo Russell, only to inexplicably hold on to him at the deadline when they could have netted an asset. The charade reached new highs when LeBron magnanimously offered to take a pay cut if Rob Pelinka could coax a star to join him in Los Angeles. Of course, they wasn’t possible given the short span of time. Los Angeles’ decline was self imposed.
But what of the newer generation of players who now made their way to the championship? Why hasn’t Giannis or Jokic returned to the winners circle? The answer could be winning the title doesn’t possess the same advantages it once did. You don’t get the LeBron 2013 season where he is freed from the shackles of scrutiny and the league officially becomes his. Instead, you’re expected to do it again with a bigger target painted on your back. The media becomes more vicious and wears them down. The Nuggets enjoyed a quiet rise to the top in 2023, later burdened by expectations and being treated as inevitable possesses an underrated threat to defending champions it did not before. Inevitability used to galvanize the favored team and demoralize the challenger, now the roles are reversed.
It is very possible we’ll see more additions to the “One and Done Club” due to the circumstances of the modern NBA.
The superstars in the One and Done Club list is:
• Dirk Nowitzki • Julius Erving • Moses Malone • Rick Barry • Elvin Hayes • Wes Unseld • Jerry West • Nikola Jokic • Giannis Antetkoumpo • Jayson Tatum
Besides Dirk, before the beginning of the 2020s it was rare to win just one championship between the years 1988 and 2002. It used to be when you win the title once you’re going to do it again. Most of the One and Done champions came from the turbulent 1970s when team building was volatile due to strenuous contract negotiations, rampant egos and unpredictability. Only the Knicks and Celtics were allowed to peacefully decline. The Warriors fell because Rick Barry‘s petulance. The Blazers fell because of Walton’s poor feet and poor treatment of Maurice Lucas. The SuperSonics fell off because Dennis Johnson alienated the team during his contractual standoff. It would happen so suddenly too. The Warriors should have repeated in ‘76. The Blazers in ‘78.
Now the team that “should have” repeated loses in a more graceful, dignified manner. The short-handed Bucks fought the Celtics valiantly in ‘22. The Nuggets simply ran into a bad matchup in round two this year. Had nothing to do with egos or fisticuffs. Merely the grind becoming too much and the bottom giving out.
But this team “feels” different. The circumstances feel more favorable to Boston than in the past. The last eastern conference team to win the title was Milwaukee, the only reason they lost was because Middleton was injured. Many people picked them to repeat because the conference was viewed as easy pickings compared to the stronger west. Had they remained healthy they at least make it back to the finals and then it’s up to you whether they’d beat Golden State.
Fast forward to today, the east is still viewed as the “Leastern Conference”, the contenders don’t particularly stand out. Philadelphia signing Paul George will help ease the burden on Joel Embiid. But the issue for Philly is Embiid is never healthy when he is needed the most. They lost Nic Batum and Buddy Heild, and don’t possess a quality starting center or a deep bench. If your fourth best player isn’t at the level of Derrick White you’re going nowhere.
New York reunited the Villanova Wildcats by paying a premium for Mikal Bridges to complete their set. Their core of Jalen Brunson (28), Josh Hart (turning 30 next March), Donte Divencenzo (27), and the aforementioned Bridges (28) are poised to give the Knicks at least two more cracks at the title before the dearth of assets and financial flexibility hammer them. But it’s the hefty price of 5-first round picks they paid for Bridges that bothers me. They should have played hard ball with Brooklyn; there’s no way the Knicks didn’t know Bridges already wanted to go to them. Plus, they’re going to need those picks for potential future deals. Losing Isaiah Hartenstein to Oklahoma City leaves only the talented, but often injured Mitchell Robinson as their quality starting level center. Which isn’t ideal. I would have waited for Donovan Mitchell to become available because easing the scoring load for Brunson was more of a pressing concern to me than trading for Bridges when I am already paying a lot of money for O.G Anonuby.
The Knicks have time to fix their problems, though they don’t have many tools left in their arsenal. Tom Thibodeau is a great head coach, but tends to grind his players knees into dust which is how you get the pitiful Game 7 exit they ended last season with. They may have won the off-season, but can they win the post season?
So who are the real challengers for the champion Celtics? Milwaukee deserves a mention for having Giannis on their team. Beyond that they don’t have much to intimidate them with. If Brook Lopez is traded that leaves a hole at the center position, and it is quite frankly a bad idea to cast blame for the team falling from 4th in defensive rating in ‘22-23 to 19th in ‘23-24 on him and not Middleton’s continued decline and Damian Lillard being a turnstile. The front office is blaming the wrong player for their woes.
The real contenders are Miami, because they’ve beaten Boston before and more recently than Milwaukee. Much is ballyhooed about the rift between Jimmy Butler and Pat Riley, but they were never going to trade Butler. He is on an expiring contract, coming off an injury riddled campaign and Miami wouldn’t get much for him if they bit the bullet anyway. Unless Miami experiences another three-point shooting variance in the playoffs (can’t count out lightning striking twice) then this is the last stand for Heat Culture. Regardless, there is a chance the young guns Jaimie Jacquez and Nikola Jovic contribute and provide the aging Heat roster with a needed shot in the arm. Anything is possible with Erik Spolstra.
And lastly, the Indiana Pacers. Yeah, the team Boston swept. The only team that didn’t win a game versus the Celtics in the playoffs. Yeah, those guys I am saying could be the ones to do the job if the cookie crumbles in a certain manner. Indiana’s offensive rating in the East Finals was an astonishing 116. They play fast, efficient and are very smart. Rick Carlisle coached up Andrew Nembhard and everyone not named Myles Turner played really well offensively in that series. Defensively is a different story. But if they get a healthy Tyrese Haliburton in the playoffs and Bennedict Mathurin it’ll better compliment an already deep Pacers squad.
My only advice for the Celtics is try your damndest to avoid an unfavorable matchup in the second round. The second round is where the playoffs are the most volatile. It’s also where four of the last five defending champions fell.
Vinny Jace appears on the Entitled Weekend podcast. He does not come from the future.
To win a title a team needs the stars to align, a peaceful alignment of karma throughout the cosmos. You need to feel God is on your side. The Golden State Warriors are the last team to achieve the dream of back-to-back championships, and even their talent-laden roster needed the big man from upstairs to do them a favor or two.
The Eastern Conference may be the weaker conference, but the Celtics had their way with the West just as much.
East: W/L: 41-11
Wins Per 82 Games: 65
Net rating: + 10.1
West: W/L/ 23-7
Wins Per 82 Games: 63
Net Rating: +14.4.
Their win percentage of 79% (counting both regular season and playoffs) is good for 11th all time, one percent below the vaunted ‘87 Lakers. Their point differential of + 1,083 (+10.7) is the fourth highest in NBA history. What we’ve been treated to over the course of a year is one of the best teams ever to have stepped on the hardwood. If next year’s team is more human, then they earned that right to be so.
The Celtics both won the title “ahead of schedule” and “just in the nick of time”. The core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick White will turn 26, 28, 29 and 30 respectively next season. They are either entering their primes, or in it right now. The nick of time aspect stems from the ages of Al Horford, Jrue Holiday, and the often unavailability of Kristaps Porzingis. Horford might’ve played his last game at the age of 38, and after 186 playoff games he finally claimed the ellusive ring.
An underlying subplot to his return to Boston was his defying of Father Time. His tip-top conditioning kept him from falling out of the rotation like 36-year old Bucks center Brook Lopez recently did, and the Celtics staggering him prevented any chance of Old Al being run into the ground. When Porzingis went down in the playoffs, Horford’s minutes went up, finding himself playing close to 40-minutes for a team with a dearth of options to relieve him. How will Boston ever survive without him? It’s a question we might have to answer real soon (for now, let’s enjoy the moment).
Regarding Porzingis, the Celtics took strenuous steps to preserve his body just for this part of the year, for the all important 16-game stretch and as fate would have it he would be more of an obstacle to overcome. Missing a month when the team needed him most, a setback that would have ended any other teams season was brushed off.
Health, regression, and random occurrences all play a role in the modern NBA in disrupting a would-be back-to-back champion. The Raptors fell victim to the ultimate anomaly in the Player Empowerment Era, their superstar bolting after winning the title. Los Angeles could have captured gold after 2020, but the short off-season following the pandemic resulted in injuries to even the iron man himself, LeBron. The Bucks appeared poised to be a dynasty with Giannis as the face, only for Khris Middleton to injure his ankle. The Warriors grew old and their young guys never grew into the successors to assist Steph. And lastly, the Nuggets with the Best Player In The World, Nikola Jokic fell into an unfavorable round two matchup versus Minnesota after losing a late regular season matchup to San Antonio and a rookie Victor Wembanyama dropped them in the standings.
The modern NBA is a field of landmines waiting to be stepped on. The Celtics overcoming all of that to win inspires more relief than jubilation. A tearful, yet jovial sigh of relief. The feeling of security and validation. We can now talk about Tatum’s unique place in NBA history.
Tatum’s total playoff points of 2,711 eclipses the mark of his mentor Kobe Bryant’s for most playoff points before turning 27. Despite playing in seven-fewer playoff games than Bryant, and when you factor in when he entered the league he had the best player in the world in Shaquille O’Neal, it makes what Tatum’s done more impressive because from day one he had to shoulder the load as the teams best player year in and year out.
Tatum’s played 107 playoff games and has been an iron man his entire career, quickly rising up the all time playoff totals in his first seven seasons of his career:
Points 1st
Minutes 4th
Games T-7th
Assists 10th
Rebounds 12th
Steals 18th
Blocks 27th
Jaylen Brown’s played more playoff minutes before turning 27 than Magic Johnson, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jerry West (RIP). These Celtics at their core are battle tested, sport gnarly scars from various battles and experienced heartbreak that would break lesser teams – but not them.
Some teams are cursed with the moniker, “always the bridesmaid, never the bride”. The 2010’s Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets through a mixture of bad luck and the mistakes ceded the era they seemed destined to dominate to San Antonio and Golden State. In the 2000s the Phoenix Suns always knocked on the door, only for it to never open.
But there are teams who nonetheless persist and will never take no for an answer and sometimes those teams are rewarded by the big man upstairs for their ability to preserve in the mighty storm that is professional basketball.
From 1962 to 1972 the Los Angeles Lakers for 11 seasons banged in the door until their fists bled. 8 trips to the final four, 7 finals appearances, losing to Bill Russell’s Celtics six times and then once to the Knicks for good measure. Then on Halloween night, 1971 after a tough loss to Nate Thurmond and Cazzie Russell’s Warriors, Lakers stalwart Elgin Baylor decided to retire and inadvertently kicked off the longest win streak in NBA history stopping at 33 en route to the title.
The Bullets of the 1970s appeared cursed to be forever the Bridesmaid Team. It started when they drafted Wes Unseld to be for them what Bill Russell was for the Celtics. Pairing Unseld with Earl Monroe was like pairing Russell with Oscar Robertson. They crashed the finals in 1971 when Monroe ripped the hearts out of the Willis Reed-less New York Knicks; Bullets’ Gus Johnson made a critical basket late in the game to lift the Bullets over the Knicks 93–91, but stood little chance against Lew Alcindor and the Milwaukee Bucks.
Baltimore went under a transformation, trading Monroe to New York, and Johnson to to the Suns. The Bullets remained prominent, but like the Celtics post-Kyrie didn’t have much star power to combat the Knicks or Celtics. Baltimore acquired Elvin Hayes from the Houston Rockets and drafted Kevin Porter in the third round of the ‘72 Draft.
The slow, steady build up led to them shocking the defending champion Celtics in the ‘75 conference finals stealing two games on the road and ending them in six. Old Celtics guard K.C Jones was at the helm, back in the 70s Celtics magic was all over the NBA. Red Auerbach’s disciples led the Lakers to the promised land, many had hoped the same could be said for the Bullets. Entering the ‘75 Finals versus Golden State, the Bullets were thought to have the more complete team and favored in the series – only to be swept, losing the first and last game in front of their home fans.
Just when the Bullets thought they couldn’t fall any lower, they lose to the Cavaliers in the Miracle at Richmond and Jones was kicked to the curb. Dick Motta is hired, the Bullets are wandering the scene in search of a purpose. Then all of a sudden the 44-38 Bullets, who were considered long shots to win the championship in 1978 found their moniker “It Ain’t Over ‘til The Fat Lady Sings” and finally climbed the mountain.
Who said Bullets?
Through all of that, the biggest change the Bullets made was they signed Big Game Bob Dandridge (who was the Robert Horry ‘glue guy’ of his generation). From all the Perseverance Championship Teams, the Bullets are the ones who came out of nowhere.
The Dr. J-era 76ers nearly won the finals in his first year, took a 2-0 lead over Portland, then Maurice Lucas fought Daryl Dawkins and helped them rediscover their mojo and the series was considered a runaway after that. They make it back in 1980, but the Lakers are deeper than they are and win in six. They lose a heartbreaker to Boston in ‘81 when they’d be favored over Houston had they won. Andrew Toney comes into his own in ‘82, murders Boston, but they still aren’t better than the Lakers. Their version of the Smart trade was moving beloved, long-standing center Dawkins for MVP Moses Malone. They ripped through the ‘83 season, went “Fo Fi Fo” en route to the title.
Teams can come back from heartbreak, shake off the losses but after a while you need something dramatic to happen that shakes up the formula to give them the best chance to get over the hump. When Brad Stevens traded Marcus Smart for Porzingis this was one of those moments.
When Danny Ainge departed, the shift from big game hunting towards empowering what they already had. Brad Stevens inherited the Celtics at a moment of crisis. Tatum was good, nobody knew how good. Kemba Walker was making a lot of money and was on the fast track to being out of the league. Stevens was quick, smart and not afraid to do what seemed unpopular at the time and that was empowering Smart by making him the point guard. Bringing back Al Horford when most of the NBA intelligentsia thought he was washed.
The 2022 team was a test of faith in the home grown, 2023 was a harsh reality check. The 2024 Celtics are reminiscent of the 1984 Celtics, with Bill Fitch playing the role of Smart. A change was in order, the formula had grown stale.
Despite the noise both locally and nationally, the smart money the whole year was on the Celtics. Early on you felt something special was unfolding. After years of the breaks beating the boys, the boys began beating breaks.
Stevens knew he couldn’t help the Celtics to the fullest as the coach, and so he became the general manager and constructed the best team of the decade (so far). The 2024 Celtics net rating equaling the 2017 Warriors mark of 11.6, tying for third best in NBA history, second to the 1996 and 1997 Bulls. But the late-90s NBA was diluted by expansion. This era has more talent, is more skilled and better coached. There aren’t any “easy wins” anymore.
Moving on from Smart allowed Derrick White to take on a bigger responsibility. What Smart provided was essential, but what held the team back was the psychological hold he had on the team. When possessions bogged down in crunch time, Tatum and Brown deferred to the alpha Smart who was left with little recourse but to shoot a low-percentage shot. The Jays needed to be pushed out of the nest.
Tatum asserted himself more as an on-ball player, acting as the de facto point guard at certain times. His passing took a massive step forward, after many years of growing pains Tatum learned how to contribute when the jump shot abandoned him.
What the Celtics accomplished is a testament to their ability to shrug off countless setbacks, and the front office for not falling in love with chasing big names. I don’t know how many front offices wouldn’t have traded Brown for Kevin Durant two-years ago. How many teams can ignore the incessant noise demanding the Jays be broken up, citing redundancy as the contributing factor why they haven’t taken that final step.
The final marks: 80-21 in total, 16-3 in the playoffs. They are the first team in seven years to win the title after sporting the best regular season record. From the first game of the season until the last the Celtics were the best team in the world and despite all the noise, nobody came close to stopping them.
The Celtics managed the health of Horford and Porzingis masterfully, even when the latter was felled by not one but TWO injuries in the postseason, the Celtics saw the adversity, ate it up and spit it out. They faced it all and they stood tall and did it their way.
Vinny Jace appears on the Entitled Weekend podcast. He does not live along the parade route.
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