Boston Celtics stars Jayson Tatum, Enes Kanter send out a stern warning to other teams in the Orlando bubble
Saturday marks the first day that all teams, including the Boston Celtics, took part in practice sessions in the bubble. The slots, 3 hours in length for each team, started at 8:30 AM in the morning and continue until 7 pm in the evening. The Boston Celtics, who have all their big guns available for the restart, looked in a good nick and good spirits as they took part in their first team press conference, which was held virtually.
Boston Celtics hold first virtual press conference
According to Brad Stevens, the Boston Celtics' head coach since 2013, the team couldn't get in all the drills that they wanted. This was because they practiced within 12 hours of their first session on Friday evening. Robert Williams and Kemba Walker, the Boston Celtics duo whose fitness was under doubt, have both been cleared by Stevens.
We're using this time to strengthen his knee. We're using this as a ramp up session for him. He'll start under limited minutes, but the goal is for him to not be under limited minutes when the playoffs come around.
Enes Kanter, who was rather unimpressed on his first day in Disney World with the accommodation, was in better spirits during the interview. According to him, the Boston Celtics only have the franchise's 18th banner in their sights.
We're focused on playing our best basketball. I just want us to have everyone healthy. Not worried about who are going to face and not going to face. At the beginning of the season, we had so many haters. But job's not done yet."
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The pangs of homesickness have already started to hit the Boston Celtics, who reached Disney World on Wednesday. All Star swingman Jayson Tatum, who will be expected to be their X-Factor, said he misses being away from his son already.
Just like his teammate Enes Kanter, Tatum has unshakable faith in the Boston Celtics' prospects at an 18th NBA championship. In addition to stating that the team has been getting back in shape and is having fun out on the court, Tatum talked about having a championship mindset:
That's the mindset you should have. That should always be the goal. We have a realistic chance. We have a lot of talent. We compete. We play defense. We trust each other. We're going to fight.
The first-time All Star seems to have put on muscle, judging from how he looked at the press conference. He admitted to having worked on building muscle in his upper body - a big factor that could help him play better on dribble penetrations.
All-in-all, the Boston Celtics seem to be in good nick and raring to go for the season restart.
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