The Boston Celtics came into the 2022-23 season as the favorite in the Eastern Conference to reach the

NBA Finals.

 

 

 

 

 

After losing to the Golden State Warriors in 2022, they were determined to make it back and contend for

the franchise’s 17th title.

The Celtics managed to reach the East Finals, but they lost in seven games to the eighth seeded Miami

Heat.

It wasn’t just that they lost to the Heat, they were down 3-0 at one point and on the verge of being swept.

It was an incredibly disappointing season for the Celtics

for sure. Former Heat guard Gabe Vincent, who signed with the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent this

offseason, made an appearance on JJ Redick’s podcast The Old Man & the Three where he hinted that

something might not have been right behind the scenes with the Celtics.

“It almost seemed to me truthfully, that they had something going on over there. Despite our gameplan,

so much has to go right I feel like to win in this league. If you’re not fully right internally, I feel like it

shows in different ways,” Gabe Vincent said. “I obviously don’t know if they were right internally or they

weren’t, but that was kind of the feel I had.”

Although the Celtics did manage to reach the East Finals this season, there was one major difference in

that they swapped head coaches from Ime Udoka to Joe Mazzulla. Coaching does matter in the NBA and

perhaps the difference in coaching may have played a factor in the Celtics ultimate demise in the

playoffs. Whatever the reason may have been.

They still do have a talented duo in Jayson Tatum and  Jaylen Brown. The potential to win a

championship is still there. They just need to put it all together.

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Former Heat guard believes Celtics weren’t right ‘internally’ in postseason

At various times throughout the past season or two, a number of rumors have swirled around the Boston

Celtics.

 

 

 

 

While the bulk of them have seemingly faded away, an interesting comment from former Miami Heat

and current Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent has the potential to quickly ignite some drama or, at

the very least, some good conversation from analysts.

During an appearance on The Old Man & the Three podcast with JJ Redick and Tommy Alter, Vincent

was asked about both the Heat’s mindset and the Celtics’ weakness that allowed Miami to defeat them

this year and nearly do it the year prior.

After praising both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and calling Boston a “hell of a team,” Vincent

hinted at feeling like something was a bit off with the Celtics.

“I think, first off, Boston is a hell of a team and was a hell of a team these last two years. With those two

guys in Tatum and Brown, they just raise a lot of havoc for the defense. but it almost seemed like to me,

truthfully, they had something going on over there. Despite our gameplan, so much has to go right, I feel

like, to win in this league, and if you’re not fully right internally, it shows in different ways,” Vincent said.

The former Heat guard did proceed to say that he “obviously” doesn’t know if the Celtics were or weren’t

right internally, but that’s the feel that he had during the series.

It’s an interesting comment from Vincent and although it is unlikely fans will ever get an honest answer

on this topic, his point about how much has to go right to win in the NBA is fair, making the Heat’s early-

series 3-0 lead even more noteworthy. With all that said, fans did nearly witness history by this same

team Vincent is discussing, as they rallied back from that 3-0 deficit and sent the series to a Game 7,

which resulted in Miami going to Boston and putting on a shockingly dominant performance in a 103-84

victory.