Do Celtics have the most to lose in East playoffs? Rajon Rondo shares great take
Do Celtics have the most to lose in East? Rondo shares great take originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Celtics' championship window appears wide open.
Their two superstars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, are both in their mid-20s, and their entire core is under contract through at least the 2023-24 season. So as the 2023 NBA playoffs begin, you could argue a team like the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks has more at stake this year.
That's the case Stephen A. Smith made Tuesday on ESPN's "First Take" when asked if it'd be a bigger letdown if the Bucks or Celtics made it out of the East.
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"If all those pieces (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday) are there, you picked up (Jae) Crowder, you've got veteran experience, you've got athleticism, you've got perimeter shooting, you've got exceptional coaching in (Mike) Budenholzer), you've got defense, you've got trees on the front line -- and you lose?" Smith said of Milwaukee. " ... With all the chirping they've been doing about Milwaukee, yeah, that's the disappointment (if they lose)."
Enter former Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo, who made the most of his guest appearance on "First Take" by going against Smith's argument.
"I gotta disagree," Rondo said. "It's called Titletown. Beantown. They expect to win (in Boston). It's been a very long time since they've hoisted that trophy. So, going back to the Finals (like) last year, getting it done, that's not gonna work.
"We don't hang Eastern Conference banners in Boston."
To Rondo's point, no team in NBA history has won more championships than the Celtics, who raised Banner 17 to the rafters in 2008 during Rondo's second season with the team. Even if the Celtics overachieved last season by reaching the NBA Finals, this is a franchise that sets the bar at winning a title, period, and anything short of that is a disappointment.
The current Celtics squad appears to be aligned with Rondo's thinking, as players have insisted all season that winning a title is their sole focus after coming up short in 2022. Add in the fact that Boston's title "drought" is approaching 15 years while the Bucks are just three years removed from winning it all in 2020, and you have the case for the Celtics' stakes being higher.
The C's went 8-2 in their final 10 games, so they seem ready to embrace the challenge of getting back to the Finals. Their playoff journey begins with Game 1 of the first round on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET against the winner of Tuesday's Miami Heat vs. Atlanta Hawks play-in tournament matchup. Coverage on NBC Sports Boston will begin at 2:30 p.m. ET.
