The Boston Celtics have definitely defied many of their biggest critics’ lowered expectations, as it was believed that the loss of Jayson Tatum to injury would severely impact this current season.
However, Tatum returned several weeks ago, and his squad was already rolling along, contending to be the top team in the Eastern Conference. Much of the team’s success was a credit to Jaylen Brown, who had been mentioned amongst potential MVP contenders due to keeping his team so relevant in the East.
On Sunday, Boston claimed their 50th win of the NBA season, defeating the Charlotte Hornets, 114-99, in a road game against one of the conference’s surging surprises. Derrick White and Brown did not play due to injury, but Tatum led the team with 32 points, eight assists, and five rebounds, while Payton Pritchard had 28 points to go with six rebounds and six assists.
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Following their big win over the Hornets, Brown took to X (formerly Twitter) to fire off a message at all those Celtics naysayers and doubters who thought this wouldn’t be their year.
“50 wins in a gap year,” Brown wrote in a message, including a shamrock emoji for some additional team spirit and emphasis.
Brown didn’t participate in his second-straight game due to left Achilles tendonitis, with Baylor Scheierman replacing him in the starting lineup. Tatum handled things fine with his supporting cast, but Brown’s contributions this past season have kept the Celtics ship afloat.
He was named an NBA All-Star for the fifth time in his career, and currently averages 28.6 points, seven rebounds, and 5.2 assists. Brown was the team’s leading scorer in the majority of games this season, helping them win with Tatum sidelined.
This was supposed to be a year of the Celtics discovering a new identity while struggling to win games. Many critics felt the loss of Tatum, as well as roster moves, were a serious shakeup that would damage this Celtics team, but that hasn’t been the case.
Among their traded players were multiple individuals involved in their championship run from two seasons ago, including Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford. However, other players have filled in suitably, and Celtics reserve Payton Pritchard continues to show why he’s an unsung hero in their games.
As it stands, Boston has clinched a playoff spot and is just four games behind the Detroit Pistons for the top overall seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics visit the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, and while Brown remains a game-time decision, it seems they’re on a trajectory to once again be legitimate threats to win the NBA Championship.
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