NBA Championship 2024: “Now or Never” for Jayson Tatum’s Celtics Dream?

The Boston Celtics have been the best team in the NBA this season. They have the best record in the league (54-14) and comfortably sit atop the Eastern Conference standings. Jayson Tatum and Co. shifted gears this season after they added Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday to their already-stacked roster. They are one of the frontrunners to win the Championship, and analyst Nick Wright believes it’s “Now or Never” for the Celtics.

During a segment on First Things First, Nick divided all the NBA teams into a Tier list ranging from teams that should cease to exist to the ones that run the league. He put the Boston Celtics at the top in a tier of its own named “Now or Never” The analyst claimed if the Celtics cannot break through and win a Championship this season, it will raise a lot of questions about their credibility and whether they are even good enough to win a title.

The Celtics is one of the two teams to hold most all-time championships win with 17. However, the last of the lot arrived in 2008. The team has since been on a run to claim a one up against the best of the teams but often to no avail. Thus, their failure to win a title this season will also lead to people doubting the superstar duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

The Celtics have always been a great regular-season team under Tatum and Brown’s leadership. But the duo has frequently come up short in their pursuit of winning a Championship. This year might be the Celtics’ best chance to get over the hump. Boston’s starting lineup is brimming with talent, and they have a deep bench that can hold their own against the best teams in hopes of overturning the past.

Celtics’ near brink for a miss

Even though Tatum and Brown have failed to win a Championship together, they have had significant success in the playoffs. The duo has led the Celtics to four Eastern Conference Finals and one NBA Finals over the years. After a disappointing 2020-21 campaign, Jayson Tatum and Co. made a dominant run to the NBA Finals in the 2021-22 season. They beat Brooklyn, Milwaukee, and Miami in the first three rounds to become the Eastern Conference Champions. Unfortunately, Boston’s Championship dream ended as they got outclassed in the Finals by the mighty Golden State Warriors.

The Celtics tried to finish the job last season but were humiliated by the 8th-seeded Miami Heat. Jimmy Butler and Co. took a 3-0 lead over Boston in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown willed their team back to tie the series at 3-3. But Miami took over in Game 7 and ended the Celtics’ dream again. Jayson Tatum and Co. hope to get over the hump this season and finally get a hold of the Larry O’Brien trophy and dodge Nick Wright’s “now or never” further down the path.

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