Many people have questioned if the Celtics’ path to winning the 2024 NBA Finals was hard or not. New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson shut down the idea that Boston did not deserve the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
The Celtics went into the playoffs as the top seed with their 64-18 record in the regular season. While Boston proved their place in the playoffs, many NBA fans believe the team had an easy path due to injuries its opponents sustained.
In the first round, Boston met the Miami Heat, who missed their star player in Jimmy Butler and starting guard Terry Rozier. The Celtics then moved on to the Cleveland Cavaliers who were without multiple players at times, including star Donovan Mitchell, during the five-game series.
In the Eastern Conference finals, the Celtics swept the Indiana Pacers, who missed Tyrese Haliburton for half of the four-game set.
With the hate Boston has garnered after winning the Finals, Brunson came to the Celtics’ defense.
“I think Boston is going to be remembered by non-basketball people, like non-players, about this run, like, ‘Oh, they didn’t play so and so because they were hurt,'” Brunson said on the “Roommates Show” podcast. “But I think the people in the basketball world understand that, no, they walked through every challenge they had to do, and things fell in their favor, it’s as simple as that.”
While there may always be an argument about if the Celtics deserves the Larry O’Brien Trophy, many Boston players are unfazed by the comments and have continued to celebrate their success.
