And not only expectations for this season -- the C's seemed to be on the verge of perreniel contention. I believed that the C's were going to be in the mix for a basketball generation. And then just... splat. From the 10-10 start -- despite a few "did they flip the switch?" moments -- just disappointment after disappointment.
It really is crazy, right? Enough to give you whiplash.
A year ago we were looking at this like dang, the Celts are set up to be one of the best teams in the league for the next 5-10 years even if they don't make a big move for AD or whoever.
Now, I would bet that the Celts head into next season with one of the youngest rosters in the league with post-injury Gordon Hayward and 32 year old Al Horford as the only guys who have made an All-Star team.
I mean, if you step back and remember that the Celts basically started a major rebuild in summer 2013 and that since then they've made the playoffs four times and gotten to the ECF twice, this isn't so bad. They will still have one of the best collection of assets in the league, a handful of quality young players, and a well-regarded coach. That's preferable to what the majority of franchises have going for them right now.
But from the perspective of thinking the Celtics would be one of the favorites for the title for multiple seasons and now we're probably gonna be on par with the Pacers and Nets fighting for the middle of the East playoff picture, it's jarring.