This team, this playoff run, it never seemed to me to be the same level of past title teams. For example 2008, 1986, those teams were clearly stacked, clearly dominant. Other teams with recent title runs, GSW, CLE, SAN, MIA, LAL and so on all to me had more dominant rosters during their runs. The Celtics have produced dominant results since about Jan 2022 but I don't think anyone can say that they seemed on paper to have the same level of dominant personnel as these other recent and not so recent title teams. I am not sure any team in the NBA this season, or at least of the final 4 teams are that kind of on paper dominant team either, so the Celtics have a tremendous opportunity.
But even considering that. Considering that this is a young team and not a dominant team in the traditional way, how does the team play so badly against another team that isn't dominant either? 23 turnovers is the box score stat that stands out but they just looked bad, sloppy, like it was a game in November where they are still trying to figure out how to play together, not a playoff game in May. I had said in another thread that I thought MIA would come out hot, that should have been a surprise to no one. I also said that getting the late news on RWill would probably throw the team off a little, and maybe it did, I don't know. But that game was a really bad showing.
Now that my vent if out, I will add that I know that this team did pretty much the same against MIL and still won the series. They had chances to win games and take command of the series but didn't. But every time they needed to win, they did. And MIL may be a better team than MIA, at least they have a better star (although Adebayo was having none of that last night). So I know this thing is not over by any means. But we don't have home court and none of our bad games to date were as bad as this last game. I continue to be confused by this team. I really still don't feel I know how good they really are. I have no issue with their effort, they are playing hard, plenty of fight in the team. Maybe this is just what the team needs to go through in order to become one of those traditionally dominant title teams. To learn how not to have games like this one.