NBA insider fears Celtics' $500M squad may face seismic offseason decisions as Knicks threaten early exit
After being one of the NBA's most dominant teams last year, the Boston Celtics look to be crumbling in the second round of the playoffs. Fresh off blowing a second straight 20-point lead in a loss, one insider touched on how a postseason exit could lead to change.
With all their core members getting new contracts in the past two years, Boston's roster has gotten very expensive. Ownership opted to run it back in hopes of contending for another title, but things aren't looking great at the moment. In light of this, rumblings of change being on the horizon are already starting to come about.
While appearing on ESPN's First Take Thursday morning, NBA insider Brian Windhorst touched on the future of the Celtics. As things currently stand, the roster is on track to have a $500 million salary next season. If they happen to come up short against the Knicks, he expects the roster to look very different in 2026.
"What's on the line is what's going to happen to this team after this year," Windhorst said. "I don't know what's going to happen there, but there's a possibility this team's not gonna come back. No matter what they might not be able to come back."
Staring down a 2-0 deficit, Boston can't afford to look that far into the future right now. For the time being, all their focus and energy should be going towards getting out of the deep hole they find themselves in.
Former player calls out Celtics coaches for late-game execution vs Knicks
Even though they squandered a massive lead again, the Celtics still had a chance to walk out of Game 2 with a win. Following a pair of Jalen Brunson free throws, they had possession with about 12 seconds to go down just one.
Boston had a timeout, but Joe Mazzulla opted not to use it. Instead, Jayson Tatum took the ball the length of the floor and tried to make something happen on the fly. He'd end up being swarmed on the baseline by OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, eventually having his game-winning attempt blocked as time expired.
While talking about the game's final play on Run It Back, Lou Williams sounded off on the Celtics' coaching down the stretch. He feels they should have used their last timeout to advance to ball and draw up a set play to go for the win.
"This is coaching right here," Williams said. "With 12 seconds to go, at least call your timeout and set up in the halfcourt, advance the basketball."
Now with two days off before taking the floor again, Boston has to go to the drawing board and make the necessary adjustments if they want to keep their season alive.
