The Celtics fell short of going back-to-back as Jrue Holiday said they failed the city. The C’s saw their season come to a premature end after losing to the Knicks in six games. They became the latest reigning champion to fail to advance past the second round of the playoffs in a peculiar trend.
Now, the Celtics enter the offseason. Boston president Brad Stevens and the front office are expected to make several moves to ship out salaries due to an expensive luxury tax bill. So, changes are likely on the horizon. But Holiday made his feelings clear when it comes to competing next season and beyond.
“We still have a really, really great opportunity and a great window to be successful and win a championship again,” Holiday said. “I think the talent that we have on this team, not only on the court, but the coaching staff all the way up to Brad, has been amazing. So, the opportunity to win is now, and I still want to be a part of that.”
The Celtics boasted arguably the most talented roster this season on their way to a 61-win season. They were expected to be title contenders coming off their 2024 NBA title, bringing back virtually their same roster from a year ago. But they collapsed against the Knicks in both Games 1 and 2 as they couldn’t overcome the series deficit.
Jayson Tatum also ruptured his right Achilles tendon as he needed surgery from the devastating Game 4 injury. Tatum being sidelined must also be taken into account considering he is set to miss a significant portion of next season, if not all of it.
“It was a lost opportunity because we lost,” Holiday said. “I think that we had the best team in the league. Obviously, doing it last year. But the chemistry that we had, that we built from last season. Even coming into this postseason and how we were feeling. I feel like we are disappointed in ourselves. We felt like we let the organization down and the city down.”
Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Sam Hauser are potentially-movable contracts, which leads to some speculation on which guy the front office could trade. Those are all hard decisions that will have to be made in the coming weeks and months.
While the players will want to bring back their guys for another shot at the title, the current Collective Bargaining Agreement makes it difficult to carry expensive rosters year after year. For now, the C’s enter the offseason after falling short of their goals.
“For me, offseason, having a little bit of a break, getting back right and preparing for next season is all that I can really do,” Holiday said. “Who comes back, roster changes, things like that, it’s not really in my control. So I just focus on what I can.”
