WS Chronicle

Earlier this year I proclaimed that it was pretty much a forgone conclusion that the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors were destined to meet in the NBA finals for the fourth consecutive year.  With how the Celtics have begun the year coupled with the struggles of the Cavs, that may not be the case.

Currently the Celtics sit atop the Eastern Conference with a 13-2 record including a 13 game win streak at the time this article was written while the Cavs are barely above the .500 mark at 8-7.  I thought the Celtics had a chance to compete with the Cavs but with the loss of free agent All-Star forward Gordon Hayward in the first game of the year I thought the Celtics were a year away from contending.

If you think about it, it is amazing Boston has been able to totally revamp their roster in such a short time frame.  In 2007 general manager Danny Ainge orchestrated brilliant moves that brought in All-Stars Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to pair with Paul Pierce creating the “Big Three.” 

From 2007-12 the team, under the guidance of head coach Doc Rivers, went on to win a championship and made another NBA Finals appearance two years later but were defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers.    They stayed Eastern Conference contenders but never got over the hump again especially once LeBron James took his talents to the Miami Heat.

Following the 2012 season Allen decided to sign with the Heat for less money, leaving Pierce and Garnett.  After the season, Rivers was let out of his contract and went to the Los Angeles Clippers and were given a 2015 first round pick as compensation. 

Setting the stage for their current success was that pick along with the trade of Pierce and Garnett to the New Jersey Nets, who sent five players along with three first-round picks in 2014, 2016 and 2018 to the Celtics.  Ainge also decided on heralded college coach Brad Stevens from Butler University to lead the team of the future.

With Stevens at the helm, the team used their draft picks and key free agent signings like Isaiah Thomas in 2014 and Al Horford in 2016 to build the team they currently have in place.  The signing of Hayward and the drafting of former Duke freshman Jayson Tatum along with the trading of Thomas for All-Star guard Kyrie Irving was supposed to put Boston within striking range of the Cavs.

Ainge continued to wheel and deal by trading the Number One spot in this past years draft for the Number Three pick, which turned out to be Tatum, and a first round pick next year.  He also has the pick from the New Jersey Nets giving them two first rounders next season to even further bolster their roster with young talent or the ability to trade them away for key veterans.

I don’t think anyone could have forecast the quick turnaround for Boston, especially when you look at how the Philadelphia 76ers have approached their roster remaking by “trusting the process.”  They are finally relevant but the fans had to endure years of sub par play from their team while Boston was able to stay competitive while rebuilding at the same time.

Prior to the season, the additions made by the Cavaliers looked to put them back into the NBA Finals once again.  I don’t think the Celtics got the memo because they have been on a roll no one saw coming.

Irving has proved to be the dynamic player Celtics fans hoped he would be.  With Thomas still recovering from hip surgery, Boston seems to have been the clear cut winner of the off season trade between the teams.

If Boston captures the Number One seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, it would be a tough task for the Cavs to overcome them in a series, especially if they do not capture the second seed, which doesn’t look very probable at this moment. 

If Thomas comes back from injury any where close to the form he showed last season, the Cavs will make a run but with them being the oldest team in the league with the average age of 30, they could fall victim to Father Time.

Even if the Celtics don’t overtake Cleveland as the team to beat in the East this season, they are set up for the next five years, yet the same cannot be said by the Cavs.  With young talent and future high draft picks at their disposal, the Celtics can truly be the Beasts of the East once again.

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