“A Bye to the Finals”: ESPN Analyst Makes Blunt Claim about Celtics’ Playoffs Run

“A Bye to the Finals": ESPN Analyst Makes Blunt Claim about Celtics’ Playoffs Run

The Boston Celtics may be just one win away from the NBA Finals, but not many have been too impressed by their playoff run. In fact, their opponents’ dismal injury luck has even prompted some fans and analysts to label their run as completely unremarkable, with ESPN’s Zach Lowe among them. On Monday’s episode of Get Up, the analyst said,

“I haven’t done the whole historical deep dive, but if it’s not the easiest path to the Finals, it’s going to be top three or top four… The Celtics have effectively gotten a bye to the NBA Finals. That might be unprecedented. There has not been a moment of stress in these playoffs.”

Lowe’s take is spot on. The Celtics were undoubtedly the best team in the regular season and were expected to breeze through the first round before hitting upon larger road bumps with every round. However, it has been nothing but smooth sailing for the franchise so far.

They played a Jimmy Butler-less Miami Heat in the first round but dropped a game before winning three straight to advance. In the East semis, the Cleveland Cavaliers started the series without star center Jarrett Allen and lost Donovan Mitchell to a calf injury in Game 3, which forced the guard to miss the rest of the series.

And now, in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Indiana Pacers’ All-NBA guard Tyrese Haliburton suffered a hamstring injury in Game 2 and has been unable to play since.

In each series, the Celtics’ opponents have lost their best players, a bizarre coincidence that has taken the sheen off their otherwise admirable run. Still, the Celtics will ignore the chatter and focus on the job on hand as they look to end the franchise’s 16-year wait for an NBA title. And one analyst believes cosmic powers are at work to make sure they do.

Skip Bayless believes the universe is backing a Celtics title win

The Celtics’ opponents’ injury crisis could only be explained as a coincidence, but Skip Bayless believes it’s the universe that’s backing their bid for the NBA title. Following their Game 3 win over the Pacers, the veteran analyst said,

“It feels meant to be. Everything has lined up, the planets are aligned for you to cakewalk since you guys (points to Paul Pierce) won it in 2008.”

Bayless may be right, but the universe is seemingly set to throw Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks at them in the NBA Finals, which would be an arduous test, with or without Kristaps Porzingis. So, if the Celtics can find a way to beat them in the NBA Finals, detractors would have nothing left to discourage them with anymore.

Post Edited By: Tonoy Sengupta
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Jay Mahesh Lokegaonkar

Jay Lokegaonkar is a basketball journalist who has been following the sports as a fan 2005. He has worked in a slew of roles covering the NBA, including writer, editor, content manager, social media manager, and head of content since 2018. However, his primary passion is writing about the NBA. Especially throwback stories about the league's iconic players and franchises. Revisiting incredible tales and bringing scarcely believable stories to readers are one his main interests as a writer.

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