All five Boston Celtics playoff wins so far in the NBA playoffs have been by double digits, and the team looks well on its way to representing the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals given the injuries up and down the bracket. That all led Tony Massarotti of 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston to bemoan the possibility of a “hollow” championship by the city’s beloved Cs.
Though this Celtics core has never won a title, and the team is still 11 wins from doing so, Massarotti is pumping the brakes.
“Let’s just say they go through the whole thing winning like this,” Massarotti said Wednesday on Felger & Mazz. “Isn’t that hollow? A championship’s a championship, the parade’s the parade. But doesn’t the value come in withstanding the pushback? It’s supposed to be about having to fight for it. That’s where the value of a championship comes.”
If the Celtics win a championship, should it even count because it was too easy?@FelgerAndMazz pic.twitter.com/ldUUo6XVOG
— Ryan Beaton (@ry_beaton) May 8, 2024
Massarotti explained that to him, part of the challenge of the NBA playoffs comes from the grind and the variety of opponents. Teams have to rise to the occasion, morph what they are, and buckle down over the course of months. Without that, NBA teams aren’t fully earning their ring.
If Boston isn’t pushed, Massarotti believes the championship will be “easy” and not representative of dominating the league.
Cohost Mike Felger pushed back, arguing, “What’s wrong with winning an easy championship? It’s the NBA.”
You would think Boston sports fans would be content to enjoy this run, with a 64-win team and perhaps the best shot at a championship for a core built around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Instead, Massarotti is already openly casting negativity on the run before it ends.