While the Celtics clawed all the way back from a 3-0 deficit to force a Game 7 against the Heat in the East Finals, their comeback attempts were extinguished. Jayson Tatum turned his ankle and the rest of the team couldn’t pick up the slack as their season came to an unceremonious end.
The Celtics are all too familiar with deep playoff runs, but this current core has yet to win it all despite great teams and chances. So during that Game 7 of the East Finals, Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck, on an appearance on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show, revealed that’s when he started formulating a plan for the summer.
“I sat there, probably the whole second half of that game, starting to think about it,” Grousbeck said. “Then I took two days because I had everything settled down. Then went and met with Brad Stevens and Joe Mazzulla, and we formulated a plan. I just said, ‘We’re not bringing back the same team.’”
The Celtics indeed made huge swings this summer, altering the team’s core significantly. While Tatum and Jaylen Brown are still the faces of the franchise, the supporting cast was overhauled. Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday upped the Celtics’ talent level to new heights as they now employ arguably the best top-6 players in the league.
But the Celtics had to say farewell to mainstays like Marcus Smart, Robert Williams III and Grant Williams, all of whom spent their entire careers in Boston. Reigning Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon was also shipped out as part of the Holiday trade. So the front office and ownership took big swings, including on the financial side as the Celtics are going all-in with their current core.
All that’s left is for the Celtics to show what they’re capable of this season. The first step is the season opener against the Knicks, scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Madison Square Garden. While the regular season is important, this team will be graded on how they perform in the playoffs.
“It’s been two seasons in a row of really good play but inconsistencies,” Grousbeck said. “They showed in the Finals two years ago and the semifinals, the conference finals last year. It just felt inconsistent, and I said, ‘I just want to change the mix.’ So there’s that freshness, a fresh approach. So we made some changes this summer.”
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