After an anxiety-inducing two weeks for Celtics fans, we really hoped for the best in game 7. The Celtics score last night was heartbreaking to say the least with a staggering 84-103 loss to the Miami Heat. Most would agree that the Celtics were the better team but ultimately stood in their own way of making it to the NBA finals against Denver.
Former baller, Charles Barkley, and current NBA analyst did not shy away from calling out the Boston Celtics for their inconsistencies during the Memorial Weekend game that took place on Monday night at the Garden. The Celtics have a history of outperforming at away games during the Playoffs, but we were hoping that kind of luck wouldn’t have an impact. After the second half Barkley said:
“I gotta say something, man. Watching these [expletive] Celtics play is making my head hurt. Ernie, let me tell you something … I can’t let it go, man. If you just come into the game and say we’re just going to jack up 3’s and if we win we are going to win and if we miss ’em we’re going to lose … it’s so bad to watch them play. There’s no ball movement. You’ve got no body movement and it’s just frustrating.”
Frustrating is definitely the keyword and there is no denying that this loss will hurt for all of Boston for a while. After the Celtics fought their way back up a 3-game trail and the incredible game 6 winning score from Derrick White that left everyone gobsmacked in Miami. It made the impossible seem possible! The roller coaster series left the Celtics with many lessons that hopefully they’ll carry into the next season and take with them to the 2024 NBA Finals.
First-year Celtics Coach, Joe Mazzulla didn’t share too much on plans for offseason. His 3-word message to his team after that game 7 loss is “I love them.” They played the best they could and sometimes the best you can do is the most you can do.