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Ramp to Camp: Final(s) predictions for how Celtics’ season will end initially appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Throughout his look on The Tonight Present with Jimmy Fallon final week, Boston Celtics famous person Jayson Tatum offered a prediction for the 2025 NBA Finals, suggesting that Boston and Dallas will meet once more on the championship stage.
So, for the 14th and last installment of our Ramp to Camp sequence, we requested our NBC Sports activities Boston panel to channel their inside Tatum and supply a prediction for a possible 2025 Finals matchup. We additionally requested them to element how the Celtics season ends and the way we’ll replicate on the 2024-25 marketing campaign as a complete.
(Take a look at our full Ramp to Camp series here.)
Perhaps we’re nonetheless dizzy from all of the Inexperienced Kool-Support from final season, nevertheless it’s actually onerous to see these Celtics fading again to the pack. Sure, accidents are the last word wild card and the health of Kristaps Porzingis will stay a perpetual storyline. A midseason ownership change may add a layer of complexity, too.
Nevertheless it appears like it’ll take a number of bumps within the street to derail the Celtics Categorical. This staff has turn out to be elite at blocking out the noise — or turning adverse vitality right into a optimistic. We’re slotting them proper again within the Finals and predicting a season that begins with two preseason games against the Nuggets in Abu Dhabi will finish with a way more high-stakes sequence between those self same two groups in June.
The Nuggets have been just about the one staff that had Boston’s quantity final season — even when each video games have been aggressive — and it appears solely becoming that the Celtics’ title repeat goes by way of one other confirmed champion.
What occurs after that’s anybody’s guess, significantly given the monetary hurdles that can exist and a possible new proprietor on the helm. However the NBA’s first repeat champion of the previous half-decade will generate some dynasty chatter, significantly with Boston capable of preserve its core intact for the 2025-26 season, as long as it’s prepared to pay the ransom to take action.
We’ll admit it feels a bit of bizarre to be so bullish on Boston’s possibilities. Successful one title is tough, and generally it appears like successful two within the fashionable NBA is inconceivable.
However in a league the place each staff has at the very least a couple of query marks, the Celtics really feel like probably the most identified commodity. The remainder of the East has to show its has closed the hole. The Celtics have been so dominant on the end line of claiming Banner 18 that we wrestle to seek out causes they’ll’t keep on the mountaintop.
It gained’t be simple, however the Celtics usually made it look that manner final season. Successful one title ensured this staff might be remembered fondly in these components; successful one other may slot them in rarified air amongst fashionable NBA groups.
Historical past is there if they need it.
Right here’s what our panel sees of their crystal balls:
No manner the Mavs get anyplace close to the Finals once more. Luka and Kyrie are too restricted defensively, and too unreliable emotionally. Let’s go along with the 2025 Thunder enjoying just like the 2012 Thunder and driving a younger solid to their first Finals.
The Durant-Westbrook-Harden Thunder fell to the defending finalists in Miami, and as we speak’s SGA-Jalen Williams-Holmgren version will meet an analogous destiny in opposition to the reigning champs, who go back-to-back for Banner 19.
Tom Giles, Multi-platform host
I’ve a tough time selecting in opposition to Denver. I do not know if OKC is prepared and I am unable to see the Mavs placing collectively one other run. And Minnesota has to determine Rudy Gobert within the playoffs.
So let’s go along with the Nuggets dropping in six to the back-to-back champs.
We’ve not seen a repeat NBA champion since 2018 — however we’ve not seen many coaches like Joe Mazzulla. Mazzulla helps a decided Celtics staff keep on target to return to the NBA Finals, the place they face Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves in a seven-game slugfest.
Jaylen Brown hits a game-winner over his fellow Georgia native in Sport 7, as Boston succeeds the place the 2008 champs fell brief by successful one other title with a star-studded core. Let the “dynasty” discuss start.
The Celtics repeat as champs, together with an Jap Convention Finals win over the New York Knicks and an NBA Finals overcome the Denver Nuggets.
The matchup we thought we might see within the Finals in 2024 really occurs in 2025. And because of repeating, the Celtics’ core joins a historic group of Boston sports activities legends that gained a number of titles.
I am taking Denver to return out of the West, this time with the Celtics proving they’ll deal with Nikola Jokic and Co. in a seven-game sequence. It will be a way more aggressive Finals this time round and it will require a Sport 7, however Boston will get the job completed once more at TD Backyard.
We’ll replicate on the season as one other dominant run and probably the beginning of a dynasty, however we’ll shortly be introduced again right down to earth with questions on how Brad Stevens will handle their sophisticated monetary scenario — except someone like Jeff Bezos arrives to save the day, after all.
Kevin Miller, VP, Content material
I do not assume the Mavs make the West finals. I am all in on the Thunder for this season popping out of the West. The Celtics will make their third Finals in 4 years and go back-to-back as champs.
They could not have a three-peat in them, however the want to be the primary Celtics staff to go back-to-back for the reason that Seventies is necessary. Mazzulla may have them centered and their depth and playmaking will in the end be the distinction.
