The Cavs have their Big Three — four-time All-Stars Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and that one kid from Akron, Ohio, all household names. The Celtics have the Value Brand equivalent in burgeoning bona fide superstar Isaiah Thomas, a reinvigorated Al Horford and Avery Bradley, a defensive specialist who’s expanding his offensive arsenal before our eyes in the postseason.
Limited Womens Dan Fouts Jersey Despite being the No. 1 seed, Boston, set to host Cleveland in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals Wednesday night, is the underdog. The Celtics aren’t anyone’s Washington Generals, but you might locate ice water in Hell before you find someone who thinks they’ll actually win the series. If the Celtics plan on being anything more than a speed bump as the Cavaliers, undefeated in the playoffs, cruise to a third-straight Finals appearance, it’s going to be incumbent upon an even lesser known starter, fourth-year small forward Jae Crowder, to show up and show out out like never before.
Crowder could be the most important supporting player on both ends of the floor for a team whose bench produced 48 points in a Game 7 win against the Wizards on Monday.
Limited Womens D’Qwell Jackson Jersey Thomas was bolstered all year by marquee free-agent signee Al Horford (16 points, six rebounds, five assists Monday).They’re the stars here. But in this game, as much as any of the Celtics’ wins in this series, the seldom-matched efficiency of the Celtics’ roster turnaround was on display. This performance can be chalked up to Boston’s depth.
NBA teams can take a decade or more to find the right mix to pull off a rebuild. The Celtics didn’t rebuild as much as they opted for a quick flip, a task they completed with a pull-away, 115-105 win over the Wizards in Game 7 of the East semifinals on Monday night at home.