Boston Globe: Celtics were more banged up in playoffs than they let on

[slightly biased bias fan]

The Celtics were bruised and battered during their run through the playoffs, with Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, and Jaylen Brown all dealing with hip injuries. But president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said those three were not alone.

Forward Al Horford was playing through an elbow injury and guard Marcus Smart was suffering from significant back spasms. Neither ailment is expected to require offseason surgery, Ainge said, but he added that the two certainly played through pain.

“Guys just gutted it out,” he said.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/celtics/2017/06/01/celtics-were-more-banged-playoffs-than-they-let/kBxBMH9FR1lAUrw0MY2yAM/story.html

[Tr1boy]

The Celtics were bruised and battered during their run through the playoffs, with Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, and Jaylen Brown all dealing with hip injuries. But president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said those three were not alone.

Forward Al Horford was playing through an elbow injury and guard Marcus Smart was suffering from significant back spasms. Neither ailment is expected to require offseason surgery, Ainge said, but he added that the two certainly played through pain.

“Guys just gutted it out,” he said.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/celtics/2017/06/01/celtics-were-more-banged-playoffs-than-they-let/kBxBMH9FR1lAUrw0MY2yAM/story.html

Its the playoffs

Danny getting soft?

[Moranis]

Sounds like excuses for a mostly terrible showing against the Cavs

[wayupnorth]

Sounds like excuses for a mostly terrible showing against the Cavs

Lol dude...what is it with you?

[CelticsJG]

Who isn't banged up? It's the playoff.

[Celtics4ever]

Injuries or no, we were found lacking in talent.  Even if everyone was 100% we did not have a winning record against them this season.

This was a great season, we got the number one pick, but the CAVs sent us home again. 

[celticsclay]

Sounds like excuses for a mostly terrible showing against the Cavs

Lol dude...what is it with you?

Lol. I know

[saltlover]

Sounds like excuses for a mostly terrible showing against the Cavs

Lol dude...what is it with you?

Are you new here?  Or is this a long-simmering question?

[fairweatherfan]

I'm sure it's true, but so was everybody else. Sucking it up while beaten up is like playoff cliche #1.

[mr. dee]

Who isn't banged up? It's the playoff.

The Cavs obviously. People were having same excuse back in 2015 when  they lost in the finals but now acting like they steamrolled a healthy team in the conference finals.

[Beat LA]

Good thing we have such a top-notch medical staff (sarcasm) . Ugh.

[csfansince60s]

I'm sure it's true, but so was everybody else. Sucking it up while beaten up is like playoff cliche #1.

The Cavs weren't, and our players didn't make ANY excuses for themselves. Ainge did.

I suppose if one is kind of dark, one could argue that Ainge was making excuses for himself, but I DON'T feel that way, he was defending his players, who gutsed it out through a lot of distracting crap and through two tough 7 game series prior to the Caves series. They played 14 grueling games and the Caves played 8.

They played a rested Cavs team. How many players on the Cavs were dinged up at all? How many dinged even close to our best player's (IT) injuries.

Give their best player a torn labrum and see how Bron Bron does, tough guy that he is. But I forgot, he doesn't get injured. And....when he is injured he heals amazingly quickly, huh?

Miracles? Genes?....OK

[csfansince60s]

Sounds like excuses for a mostly terrible showing against the Cavs

Lol dude...what is it with you?

Are you new here?  Or is this a long-simmering question?

Some people just Fear the Sword.

[Ilikesports17]

This isn't any excuse but it's hardly like they are using it as one.

[chilidawg]

Cavs played 8 easy games coming in, we played 13 tough ones.  That's a testament to how good they are, but it's hard to think that doesn't matter.