BOSTON — The Golden State Warriors have won four of the last nine NBA championships, their last at the expense of the Celtics in 2022.
But head coach Steve Kerr wouldn’t be surprised if Boston raises its own championship banner in the very near future.
When asked on Sunday if he thought this Celtics team had what it took to win the franchise’s first title since 2008, Kerr responded with glowing praise for the C’s.
“Yes why not?” Kerr said at TD Garden before the Warriors’ game against Boston. “I mean, they’ve been on the brink for six, seven years. Great organization, always very well coached, continuity – they’ve got it all.
“I think in this league you always need a little bit of luck to win a championship. Sometimes certain things break you, sometimes they don’t, but the idea is to give yourself a chance as many times as possible, and they do. have done. have done a great job, and I think it’s only a matter of time before they succeed.
“This is, I think, the best version we’ve seen from this team.”
The Celtics have reached at least the Eastern Conference Finals in five of the last seven seasons. After losing to the Warriors in the 2022 Finals, they reached Game 7 of the 2023 East Finals before falling to the Miami Heat. President of basketball operations Brad Stevens responded last offseason by adding two All-Star caliber talents, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, who helped Boston to a team-best 47-12 record. the NBA, Sunday.
Kerr cited Holiday and Porzingis as the two biggest differences between this Celtics team and the team Golden State faces in the 2022 Finals.
“This represents two very high-level players adding to what was already a great team,” Kerr said. “I think Jrue replaces a lot of what Marcus Smart gave Boston defensively and is an additional ball handler and playmaker. I think Kristaps changes everything, just with his floor spacing and overall offensive game .
“So they are mortal.”
While the Celtics are currently the title favorites, Kerr’s Warriors enter Sunday as the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference with just five games above .500 (32-27). However, they have won 11 of their last 13 games and have beaten the Cs in two of their last three clashes since the 2022 final.
So while Kerr has a high view of Boston, expect his team to put the league’s best team to a tough test on Sunday afternoon.
