'Sour Finish' To Season, But Celtics Vow To Come Back Stronger
BOSTON (CBS) -- After a 48-win regular season, the hope was the Celtics would take another step forward and win a playoff round.
That hope came to an end Thursday night in a disappointing 104-92 Game 6 loss to the Atlanta Hawks at TD Garden. But the message throughout the Boston locker room was clear following the defeat: This loss will make them stronger.
"Nobody said it would be easy. It's tough to win a series and it was tough to win two games. This should hurt everybody, then the we can come back next year even stronger," said a red-eyed Isaiah Thomas, who led the Celtics with 24.2 points per game in the series.
"It's a horrible way to end considering what we were able to accomplish throughout the season," said Evan Turner. "Everything is tough right now, but when you sit down and think about it, you have to bounce back. That's it.
"[Stuff] happens. Hopefully we can learn from it, take from it and keep going," Turner added.
While the sting of defeat will resonate for some time, the future is looking up for the franchise.
"It's tough right now because the emotions of the moment and losing the series, and the way we lost the last two games. But from a big picture perspective, I feel good about our progress," said head coach Brad Stevens. "We have great opportunities to move forward with our future flexibility. I think over time -- tonight is sour and we have a sour feeling about it, this will make guys more encouraged to get into the gym."
As Stevens noted, having that bitter feeling may not be the worst thing.
"For young guys, sour isn't always bad. Me, I'm going to go home and watch what I can do different. I hope our guys do the same thing," he said. "I hope they take time off, but after that, let's get better."
The progress was certainly there for the Celtics in the regular season. They were one of the best defensive teams in the league for long stretches, and proved to be a gritty bunch that battled until the very end. There were dramatic comebacks where the Celtics erased seemingly insurmountable deficits in a matter of seconds thanks to after-timeout plays drawn up Stevens and executed to perfection by his players. There were road wins like Avery Bradley's buzzer beater to beat the Cavaliers in Cleveland and a dramatic April 1 victory over the Golden State Warriors (the first team to beat the defending champs on their home court) that fueled the hope that the Celtics were not just ahead of their rebuild, but ready to take a giant leap forward and become a force to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference.
That progress is diminished a bit by a disappointing close to the season (losing two of their last three) when home court advantage was in their grasps, followed by their early exit in the playoffs, but Stevens is pleased with the growth the young Celtics displayed throughout the campaign.
"Judging by the whole season, yes [there was progress]. That's obvious when you go from 40 wins and under .500 and barely eking in [to the playoffs] to being in the mix for a Top 4 seed in the East," he said. "People have told me all along there are two tough tasks. One is getting to be a good, competitive team, at a top 10-15 level on offense and defense, and be in the discussion we're in now. That's been the path the last three years to get here.
"The next one is tough, and that has been communicated more to me. We learned a lot during this series," said Stevens. "One of the things is we have to get better. That starts with me, and the each of our players will look at that as well. We'll all be much better next time we take the court."
Boston could, however, be a much different team the next time they take the floor. Celtics president Danny Ainge is armed with a bevvy of draft picks (including the Brooklyn Nets' first rounder, which could be a Top 3 pick if the ping-pong balls bounce Boston's way on May 19), young players to shop around on the trade market, and financial flexibility to add a pair of max contracts this summer.
Getting a pair of top dogs to run with Thomas could prove difficult, as Boston has never been a destination for free agents. Thomas, who wrote a glowing piece on Boston just prior to the playoffs, hopes that will change given the growth the C's showed during the regular season and their promise for the future.
"Our fans are amazing; this city is a sports town. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," he said. "When you get to experience what Boston Celtics basketball is like, it's like no other organization. As long as we keep getting better hopefully guys will start to choose Boston as a city they want to play in."
The present doesn't feel all that great, but once that sour taste goes away the future is looking bright for the Celtics.
