Kevin Garnett Shoots Down Idea That Celtics Had Easy Path to NBA Finals

Highlights

Celtics cruised through the Eastern Conference and are headed to the NBA Finals to face the Dallas Mavericks.
Critics argue path was easy for Boston due to injuries to opposing teams as the Celtics face their toughest test yet.
Kevin Garnett defended the Celtics, says road wins and close-outs have been impressive in playoffs.

The Boston Celtics dominated their way through the Eastern Conference during their run to the NBA Finals.

En route to their upcoming championship series against the Dallas Mavericks, the Celtics have a 12-2 record so far in the postseason, with no opposing team ever leading them in a playoff series or winning more than one game against them.

Some critics of the Celtics have argued that they’ve had a bit of a cakewalk to the Finals. In every series they’ve played thus far, the Celtics’ opposition have dealt with injuries that forced star players to miss a few games: the Miami Heat lost Jimmy Butler, the Cleveland Cavaliers lost Donovan Mitchell, and the Indiana Pacers lost Tyrese Haliburton.

Going up against the Mavericks, the Celtics will undoubtedly face their toughest test so far in the playoffs, but just because Boston dominated their way through the East doesn’t mean their path was easy.

Speaking on his podcast “Ticket & The Truth,” former Celtics star big man Kevin Garnett blasted critics who claimed Boston’s path to the Finals wasn’t challenging enough.

“I think people want this big-ass f—— drama or something because all of the other series have been like this,” Garnett said. “‘Oh, when LeBron made it and when Kobe did this and Michael Jordan.’ Listen, man. Their path is their path. First off, it’s not on the Celtics that guys are getting hurt, not playing, falling out of the lineup, etc. There are still other professionals coming in, playing hard as s— and still trying to win. And to close out a game on the road? Man, I don’t know what people want.”

Garnett argued that if you want a dramatic playoff series, it takes two to tango, and that the Celtics’ performance on the road and in close-out games has been as impressive as what any team has done in the postseason.

“They think you can just hit a button and all of a sudden you’re tied. No, man. You have to go win on the road and it’s hard as s— to go win on the road, and it’s even more hard to close out a team,” Garnett said. “But for all this other s— they can’t control and that’s out of their control — get the f— out of here with that. This is what it is.”

Celtics Are on the Cusp of Their First Title Since Garnett’s Run to the Championship

There’s a new generation of stars in Boston.

The Celtics haven’t won an NBA title since 2008, when the “Big 3” of Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen took down Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.

Since then, a new era has blossomed in Boston, with the star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown set to lead the franchise for years to come. Tatum and Brown have already led the Celtics to a lot of success, including a Finals appearance two years ago. This year, they were the best team in the East through the regular season by a whopping 14 games.

With all that success, they still have yet to raise a championship banner. They’ll get the chance to change that starting Thursday with Game 1 of the NBA Finals in Boston.