It took 101 games (and LeBron James) to stop this Celtics team.
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BOSTON — It took 101 games before the Celtics finally showed their age. Sure, they had some dubious moment on their way to a seventh game in the Eastern Conference finals, but they rarely played like a young team that was in over their head.
Whether it was getting past Giannis Antetokounmpo in the first round, or derailing the up-and-coming 76ers in the second, the C’s acted like they belonged here among the best. It took LeBron James playing all 48 minutes in a Game 7 to finally get rid of them, and even then they felt like they had it, right up until they didn’t.
The end came amid a flurry of rushed offense and bad shots. The patience and trust that had carried them to this point evaporated at precisely the wrong moment, and their inexperience finally revealed itself.
The Celtics lost Game 7 to LeBron’s Cavaliers on Sunday night, 87-79, because they couldn’t score. That was always going to be a problem for a team without its two best offensive players, but these Celtics had a way of making you believe in the impossible.
“I think at the end of the day, again, this team was the only team that I’ve been around at this level that I thought we might shoot 36 percent and win the game,” coach Brad Stevens said. “But we just had one of those nights.”
It was the second quarter that was their undoing. After Marcus Morris buried a 3-pointer to make it 35-23 and LeBron turned it over for the sixth time, the Cavs were teetering. Rather than deliver the knockout punch, the Celtics’ offense degenerated in a mess of empty possessions and missed shots.
“We were in really good shape, really good shape — and then we just couldn’t quite extend the lead,” Stevens said. “I thought that added to the shooting the rest of the game.”
They still almost pulled it off. When Jayson Tatum dunked on LeBron midway through the fourth quarter it felt like an omen. When Tatum buried a 3-pointer the next time down the floor to give the Celtics the lead back, it was all right there for them. As it turned out, it was their final lead of the season.
LeBron is LeBron and he got right back to work, getting Tatum in foul trouble and having a hand in 10 straight points down the stretch while the C’s went cold. The Celtics pushed James to the limit, but like so many others that have fallen — from Derrick Rose’s Bulls to Paul George’s Pacers — they couldn’t get past the best player of this generation.
“Every day that you’re totally focused on this, and he’s gone past that eight straight times,” Stevens said. “It’s ridiculous, and he does it at this level and with the pressure, with the scrutiny — doesn’t matter. It’s just unbelievable.”
It goes without saying that games like this are exactly why you need Kyrie Irving on the floor. This unexpected playoff run had the effect of diminishing Irving’s impact on this team. From the moment Gordon Hayward was lost for the season, Irving became the focal point and an MVP candidate.
When the Celtics needed offense they knew they had one of the game’s great shotmakers and imaginative creators to go to work for them. That they survived this far without Irving is a testament to their talent, and their belief in one another.
Rozier began the season as the ninth man and finished as the starter. Brown and Tatum are barely into their 20s and each had moments of postseason stardom that players with a decade of experience will never attain. Tatum, especially, has the look of an All-NBA performer for years to come.
“I just love everything about the kid — the way he plays the game, his demeanor, where he comes from,” said James, who wrapped the rookie in an embrace after the final buzzer. “I just know he’s just built for stardom. He’s built for success. And that’s both on and off the floor.”