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MILWAUKEE – And just like that, the turbulent Celtics season has ended.
After dropping both home games to take the 3-1 lead in the fifth game of their playoff series in the second round against Milwaukee Bucks, the Celtics did their best to stay in the penalty area Wednesday night at the Forum Fiserv. But their mediocre shot – 19 for 71 (26.8%) to three quarters – stifled them, and the Bucks moved away at the end of the third period to seal Boston's miserable fate.
"This match was disappointing," said coach Brad Stevens. "[The Bucks] were great. Credit them, credit their coaches, credit their players. They are better than us. "
For Boston, the disappointment is not limited to the fifth game. A team projected to win at least 60 regular season games and challenge the Golden State Warriors in the NBA finals, the Celtics sent a discouraging performance after another during the same period. The entire year.
As Stevens has pointed out, the highs and lows have certainly been the subject of a good chronicle: everything from team meetings to mutual flares in downtime, by the way by post-match viral comments and collapses against the lower teams. To speak in clichés, every time the Celtics took two steps forward, they seemed to retreat immediately three steps.
Stevens did not hesitate to assume much of the blame.
"I'll be the first to say that this is the last time I've been head coach – it's certainly the toughest," he said. "I think I did a bad job. the end of the day, as a coach, if your team does not find their best combination, it's up to you. "
Things will soon be complicated for the Celtics, who have to deal with a dead season full of uncertainties. All-Star playmaker Kyrie Irving, who has managed an incredible 29.6% in all four Boston defeats, is ready to hit the free goal with a free player guarantee with no guarantee that he will come back in the team.
In October, Irving told a group of season ticket holders that he was considering re-signing with the Celtics, but as the woes of the season grew, the skepticism surrounding his projects increased. The capricious superstar of 27 years offered no guarantee Wednesday night.
"For me, it's just a matter of moving on and seeing where it ends," he said.
When asked if uncertainty about his future weighed on him, Irving dismissed the question. Asked what kind of situation could create a positive situation, he said his current goal was to return to Boston safely, to see his family, to decompress and to "do what human beings do".
Whether it remains or not at Irving could have major consequences on the organization's moves this summer. It is obvious that the Celtics are still interested in trading for New Orleans' Anthony Davis Center, but doing so without Irving is a bit more risky when Davis only has one year left on his contract. Abandoning young talent like Jayson Tatum just for Davis to walk at the end of the upcoming season is certainly not a good outcome for long-term success.
Irving is not the only player whose status is changing. After experiencing the best season of his eight-year career, striker Marcus Morris is on the verge of becoming an unrestricted free agent; Backup goalie Terry Rozier is about to become a restricted free agent, which means the Celtics can match any other team's bid sheet. and veteran striker Al Horford can withdraw from his four-year contract.
Horford said he would like to return – he could still choose not to let the Celtics restructure his contract – while Morris also wanted a return.
"Obviously, I love being here in Boston," Morris said. "I enjoyed it very much and hopefully I will stay here. It's an excellent organization, nothing more than being able to play on this stage. I enjoyed my time. "
Rozier, on the other hand, does not seem to feel the same. After being the starting goaltender when Irving was injured in the last round of last season, the 25-year-old was relegated to his replacement position this season – and the transition proved difficult. To Rozier's credit, he generally said the right things and, for the most part, kept his blame.
"I thank God for my family and my boys at the nursery," said Rozier. "They kept me in balance all year because I had to deal with bulls ***."
He made no comment as to whether Boston could match the other offers. The value of Rozier probably took a hit, compared to that of Scary Terry last season.
Due to the premature exit of the Celtics, there is more than seven weeks between the end of their season and the official start of free acreage on July 1st. But rumors will certainly vibrate before that – and are likely to resume after the NBA lottery on May 14.
This year, Boston could have up to four first-round picks: the Memphis Grizzlies' (top-8), Sacramento Kings' (top-1), Los Angeles Clippers' and their own. What the team plans to do with these selections depends on a number of factors, namely the pursuit of Davis.
Stevens said he did not really think about possible changes to the lineup before the end of the season. It was obvious that he felt for the youngest players, who often risk getting fired from all their names.
"The other thing I told the team was all we went through. They will all be better because of that, "said Stevens. "It's absolutely not shown on this stage, but they'll all be better because of that because we learned a lot."
Whether Stevens has begun to think about it or not, departures are already planned.
Assistant coach Micah Shrewsberry is reported to have accepted an assistant coaching position for Purdue men's basketball staff. Shrewsberry, who also worked with Stevens at Butler, works one-on-one with Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
This loss alone is certainly great. And others will come soon, the size of each one varying. But one thing is certain: this team will be very different in October.
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