Breaking News: Heat guard gives candid assessment of Celtics ‘internal’ playoff issues

 

Brad Stevens has made some big changes to the Celtics roster this offseason in the wake of an ugly Game

7 loss to the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals back in May.

Boston Celtics, Miami Heat

 

 

 

Kristaps Porzingis was added to boost  Boston’s frontcourt while the team traded away Marcus Smart

and Grant Williams in separate deals to

reshape the team’s rotation.

What is evident now is the Celtics locker room dynamics will be different for the 2024-25 season with an

assortment of new faces. And that may not necessarily be a bad thing according to one opponent. In an

interview on the Old Man and The Three podcast, ex-Heat guard Gabe Vincent spoke about Miami’s win

over the Celtics back in the East Finals and highlighted some revealing issues that may have held Boston

back in the matchup.

“I think first off, Boston is a hell of a team and was a hell of a team these last two years,” Vincent said.
“Tatum and Brown raise a lot of havoc for the defense.

The Heat jumped out to a stunning 3-0 series lead over Boston despite being the No. 8 seed and

ultimately held on for a 4-3 series win, avenging a loss in the East Finals last year. Vincent also

highlighted the fact he thought this year’s Celtics team played far differently defensively from 2022 in his

interview.

“I obviously don’t know if they were or weren’t right internally but that was my feel I had,” Vincent.
“There were moments of attack, you get the right matchup and you attack. Jimmy leading the way with
his paint touches and Bam being aggressive and keeping them out of transition. That was a huge one for
us. If we can get you into the half court, we have a chance.
“I think last year, they were better defensively when we lost to them in the East Finals. This past year,
something didn’t seem as right whether it was their rotations or connectivity, whatever the case may be.
I think any bit of weakness we saw, we jumped on it.”
The Heat went on to lose to the Nuggets 4-1 in the NBA Finals. The Celtics are currently the betting
favorites to win the East Finals after their offseason moves.
“It almost seemed like to me, truthfully, they had something going on over there. Despite our gameplan,
so much has to go right to win in this league and if you aren’t fully right internally, it shows in different
ways.”
READ MORE:

Woj drops truth bomb on Jaylen Brown’s $304 million contract talks with Celtics

 

Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics, NBA Free Agency

 

 

 

 

Although rumblings about his potential contract extension with the Boston Celtics had been relatively

quiet for a few weeks, recent reports about Jaylen Brown’s future outlook with the team have been

promising, with there being almost no doubt that the 26-year-old would be re-signing with the Eastern

Conference powerhouse.

That projection only got even more reassuring after ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported that

Brown and the Celtics are discussing a contract extension that would be the biggest in NBA history.

Here’s what Woj had to say about the potential deal and where the two sides stand:

“It’s going to take more time,” Wojnarowski begins, noting Brown’s off-court obligations. “Brown and his

agent have been talking with [Celtics president] Brad Stevens… Brown is leaving the country on Players’

Association business. They’re expected to re-engage again when he gets back.”

“This is a deal that would be the richest contract in NBA history,” he continued, saying that “it could be

worth up to $304 million. In the final year of that deal, Brown will be making $70 million.”

With such an eye-popping number, Wojnarowski was also quick to acknowledge that when teams,

agents, and players are in the negotiation process, “… it isn’t just ‘Hey, are we gonna give him the full

amount, the max number?’ There are trade kickers that could be in the deal, player option years in a

deal, payment schedule – there are a number of other things that go beyond the super-max Jaylen

Brown is eligible for… ”

Brown, a two-time All-Star, received his first All-NBA selection in 2022-23 (making him supermax

eligible) after averaging 26.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 49.5

percent from the field. Developing dramatically since entering the league in 2016, the Georgia native has

become a formidable presence on both ends of the floor.

 

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