Kyrie and Hayward: The return of the Celtics?

With it being Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward‘s birthday today I thought it would fitting to see how things are over in Boston. I am a massive Celtics fan and have been for a good part of a decade now, probably longer. I must say I am only 19 so it’s not like I jumped on the bandwagon like Heat and Warriors fans. In my time, I have seen legends of the game like Ray Allen, Rondo, Garnett and of course the one and only Paul Pierce.

Kyrie can easily join these legends if he stays with Boston for years to come and I want him to. He is a fantastic player who gets slack because he left that ego-driven muppet back in Cleveland. Can’t wait to receive hate on Twitter for saying that about LeBron.

The Future Is Looking Bright

When the Irving trade was made at the end of last season everyone was saying that the Cavs had got the best part of the deal and I could understand, Isaiah Thomas was a fantastic servant for us and was performing better than Kyrie was at Cleveland. However, over a short period of time, it turned out that the Celtics had robbed the Cavs as IT was dreadful and Kyrie was on fire. It’s quite shocking to think that Kyrie isn’t even in his prime yet and he has massively helped Boston to the 2nd seed spot in the East, ahead of his former team who are currently pretty average.

Everyone seems to talk about both Hayward and Irving as if they are the only stars in the team, and don’t get me wrong, they are the best players we currently have. However, people seem to be sleeping on the fact we have some of the best young talents and most underrated players in the league right now.

One man who could shock a few and beat Ben Simmons to the Rookie of the Year award is Jayson Tatum. He is currently averaging 13.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and almost 1 block a game which is a very good stat line for someone in their rookie season. He is also doing something Ben Simmons can’t do, hit three-pointers. Ben Simmons hasn’t hit a single three-pointer this season, in a league where three-point shooting is the most valuable skill. Tatum has fantastic speed and fantastic agility for someone with his frame and he is frightening when he starts to attack the rim.

Another player that has massively improved this season is Jaylen Brown. He is currently averaging 14.1 points, 5 rebounds, and almost 2 assists a game. Considering he completely flopped in his rookie season, he has come into his own this season and if he can keep his progression up, along with Kyrie and Tatum, he could be a very key player for years to come.

With the likes of Rozier, Brown, Tatum, and Kyrie all coming into a good age together, the Celtics have built a team that could dominate the East and the league for years to come. With a young coach and the best coach in the league, in Brad Stevens, the Celtics will be a force to be reckoned with. People are talking about the process in Philly and the young squad over with the Lakers, and they are good teams, especially with LeBron going to either one of those, but people are sleeping on the fact that the Celtics have a fantastically balanced roster. We have the young guns in Brown and Tatum and the stars with experience in Kyrie, Hayward, and Horford. I’d definitely fancy our chances next season.

NBA Gods Hate Boston

Listen, this next bit may seem a little salty and I may come across as a LeBron hater, which I am definitely not. LeBron is one of the best players of all time and I enjoy watching him, however, he will never be better than MJ, he just won’t.

Anyway, it seems he needs all the help he can get if he wants to make it to the finals with the Cavs, and he has received that from the NBA Gods because the Celtics are currently without Hayward, Kyrie and Brown through injury and Horford seems to have gone missing since the All-Star game.

We are currently having to play a squad of players who would average about fifteen minutes a game each. Our five starters for the game against OKC were Morris, Horford, Baynes, Tatum, and Rozier, with regular subs being Larkin, Monroe, and Ojeleye. Now I know we went on to win the game and I was surprised just like everyone else, but we won’t get far with that lineup in the playoffs. I would love us to and we have been doing well with the weakened roster but we won’t beat the Cavs, the Raptors and would struggle against Philly.

It looks like the NBA Gods have gone and given LeBron an easy road to the finals, but he won’t beat the Warriors or the Rockets, this year is the West’s year once again and I can’t see that changing for a couple of years.

Finally…

Simply finishing up, I hope both Kyrie and Hayward enjoy their birthdays massively, it’s a shame they will be both injured for the day however, they’ll be back soon and stronger. I can’t wait to see Irving and Hayward in the same team next season, it could finally be the return of the Celtics.