Did the Celtics have the easiest championship run in NBA history? Looking at all favorable incidents in playoffs
The Boston Celtics, were not only statistically the best team in the NBA this season. On their way to the championship, they also produced one of the most dominant runs in recent NBA history, dropping just three games while coming up against a number of weakened teams that suffered due to injuries.
Right from their first playoff opponents this season in the form of Miami Heat, to the their Finals opponents in the form of Dallas Mavericks, the Celtics made short work of the opponents they were presented with, but the matchups became significantly less challenging due to the absence of multiple superstars in their opponents' ranks.
That, in addition to the fact that they skipped past big guns such as the Milwaukee Bucks and the New York Knicks, suggests that they had a markedly easier run to the title than fans would have expected.
Of course, part of the credit goes to the weakened Eastern Conference, as a recent Athletic analysis reveals how they came up against teams that had no All-Stars 9 of the 14 times they suited up in the Playoffs.
Boston Celtics had a markedly easier run in the NBA Playoffs
First and foremost, the Celtics were up against the Miami Heat, who were hit with an injury to Jimmy Butler just days before the Playoffs tipped off. That meant that a stacked Celtics roster came up against a Miami Heat side that boasted of no All-Stars in their roster.
While the Heat were still able to emerge victorious in Game Two, that was down to an off-day from Jayson Tatum and company, as the likes of Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro led the charge. The Heat were clinical from the three-point zone, with the likes of Caleb Martin, Herro, Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jazquez Jr. and Haywood Highsmith all putting up a clinic from distance. That was the only victory the Heat could manage without their star man.
The Celtics then faced the Cleveland Cavaliers, another young team which saw both Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen missing through injuries in the majority of the matchups. Again, the Celtics dropped one single game (Game Two), which saw Mitchell being supported by Carid LeVert off the bench, another player who was impacted by injuries.
The Celtics then faced the Indiana Pacers in the Conference Finals, another inexperienced team that made their first Playoffs in four years.
Furthermore, Tyrese Haliburton picked up an injury in Game Two, missing the rest of the series, which opened the floodgates once again for the Celtics. Finally, while the Dallas Mavericks had their two superstars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, they were dealing with injuries to both Maxi Kleber and PJ Washington, which further played into the Celtics' hands.
Hence, there is little doubt that the Celtics saw their job made easier due to the injuries their opponents were dealing with, even though fans will argue that the team had more than enough to defeat them even with all the stars to call upon.