It seems like yesterday the Celtics were loaded up for an all-but-certain run to at least one NBA Finals.
Remember the 2017-18 roster? Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, Al Horford, Terry Rozier, Marcus Smart, and Marcus Morris—that team was stacked.
But fate dealt the Celtics a bad hand. Despite boasting a plethora of talent over the past few years, the green and white have never made it past the Eastern Conference Finals. After a first-round postseason exit at the hand of familiar foe Irving and the Brooklyn Nets, GM Danny Ainge announced his retirement Wednesday.
Ainge pieced together Boston’s last title team—the 2008 outfit with the original Big 3—but likely heads into retirement with some sense of unfulfillment. He had to think this current era of Celtics basketball would bring Boston back to glory.
The Celtics aren’t dead, with Brad Stevens moving into the GM role and several young stars still on the roster. But the franchise’s outlook sure doesn’t look as rosy as it once did.
Let’s recap how we got here.