Best of the Celtics on WEEI: Setting expectations for the playoffs

The WEEI Afternoons podcast dives into the Boston Celtics' playoff outlook following their 56-win regular season, emphasizing their dominant positioning as the Eastern Conference's second seed. Hosts express near-universal confidence that the Celtics should reach the NBA Finals, dismissing any notion of settling for less. They analyze the playoff bracket, highlighting how the Celtics avoided the Knicks by virtue of the Hawks' strong performance against them, and express relief at not facing New York due to lingering emotional baggage from last year’s series. The episode also celebrates the emergence of role players like Baylor Shireman, Luka Garza, and Ron Harper Jr., who delivered career highs in a blowout win over the Magic with a depleted roster. The hosts praise the Celtics’ organizational alignment under Brad Stevens and Joe Mazzulla, calling it a sustainable culture of belief and cohesion. They contrast this with past misalignments in other Boston teams, particularly the Red Sox and Patriots, and express cautious optimism about the new ownership’s commitment. The discussion also touches on fan culture, media narratives, and even a humorous dig at the Coach of the Year award, which Joe Mazzulla reportedly finds meaningless.