The Boston Celtics couldn’t get the job done in the In-Season Tournament, losing to the up-and-coming Indiana Pacers in the quarterfinals.
Nonetheless, that doesn’t make them any less of an NBA championship contender, at least in the eyes of Charles Barkley.
Talking on NBA on TNT, the legendary power forward guaranteed that the Celtics would win the title this season.
Chuck: “The Boston Celtics are going to win the championship… GUARANTEED!” 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/cdzcbxfR8p
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 5, 2023
Barkley believes that the additions of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis really took the team to a whole new level, although he did express some concerns about the latter’s health.
Barkley also stated that Porzingis doesn’t need to be dominant because he’s their fourth-best player, so all he needs to do is be the best fourth in the league.
Personnel-wise, there’s absolutely no doubt that the Celtics should be considered the team to beat this season.
Then again, we’ve seen Joe Mazzulla dig himself into a hole way too many times, dating back to his first year in charge of the team, and that trend hasn’t changed a lot this season.
Also, the Celtics have had a star-studded squad for years now, but they’ve often crumbled under pressure, and getting past those mental hurdles after failing so many times isn’t easy.
The Celtics have the best starting lineup in the league, not to mention an elite player like Jayson Tatum leading the way.
But we’re just a couple of days into December and there’s still a lot of basketball to be played, so perhaps we should pull the brakes on these predictions.
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Celtics HC Reacts To Jayson Tatum Getting NBA Honor
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