1 Day till tip off; Expectations for 2024

    

    
    The 2024 NBA season is upon us, and the Boston Celtics play their first game of the season against the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden tomorrow night. Following this is their home opener on Friday night against the Miami Heat in a revenge matchup. Out of the first 15 games, the Celtics should win every single one, this team should only lose trap games...
    Yes my expectations for the Boston Celtics go like this... its Banner or Bust, the roster we have put on the floor this season is exceptionally talented. Ownership pushed all of their chips into the middle to put this roster on the floor. Along with Brad Stevens making the toughest deals, to move on from players that grew up in the system... for the betterment of the basketball team. 
    Stevens was laying down the law last week in sports talk radio, making it clear to the media, the fans and the players, there are no excuses, this is a special opportunity that the Boston Celtics have. It cannot be wasted. The talent on the roster clears every single team in the league, people will argue fo Phoenix or Denver... I'm sorry its still not close. When it comes to complete talent on a roster, Offense, Defense, Passing, Rebounding, off ball action, shot creation, 3 point shooters, the Celtics have no one that covers each base like they do.
    They got Jrue Holiday... without giving up Derrick White! Brad Stevens essentially owns the league, Jrue Holiday is the best point of attack, defender 1 on 1 nobody can lock down like him, Derrick White is essentially the same, just with more length. Holiday comes egoless as opposed to Smart who believed he was the number 1 option and the coach of the team. 
    They got Porzingis... fits his role perfectly behind the Jays, Kristaps moving to the 3rd option on the team will allow him to thrive, the Jays will make space for the unicorn. Porzingis is a career 35% 3 point shooter, while being the number 1 option to create and run an offense in Washington and New York. He was also the number 2 option behind Luka Doncic in Dallas whereas here in Boston, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown carry the offense burden for the team. 
    When it comes to Tatum & Brown carrying the offense is not enough this year, they need to get back to their roots. The two superstars need to take pride in being two way players again. When the Celtics made the finals the Celtics were the best defensive team in the league and a massive part of that was Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown taking pride in being 2 of the best defenders on the team. The two of them are extremely athletic, they have length  and their wicked smart. The Celtics ran a train of an off ball switching scheme under Udoka with help defenders crashing from angles teams were never ready for. If those two get back to their roots as great on and off ball defenders behind White and Holiday the best defensive backcourt in the league, the Celtics will have the Banner in the Bag.
    There are no excuses the Celtics physically are built for the banner, mentally I believe they should be ready aswell... to understand the moment and play normally. Not get sped up by the hype, not come up short in the biggest moment. After the hardship and heartbreak of the last few seasons falling in the conference finals and the finals Tatum and Brown have grown. They have grown to see professional basketball is not just about playing with your friends, its not about dropping shoes, or winning all star MVP's at least in Boston, its about winning championships.
    Game 1 of the journey starts tomorrow in Madison Square where Americas teams tips off against the Knicks its must watch TV.

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