The Boston Celtics may be a title contender this season, but their home form in the playoffs has been deeply concerning. They’re just 15-15 in their last 30 postseason games at the TD Garden, including two surprise losses coming against the Jimmy Butler-less Miami Heat and the Jarrett Allen-less Cleveland Cavaliers. Flagging this as a massive problem, Draymond Green couldn’t help but bring up how Stephen Curry ripped this franchise apart during the 2022 NBA Finals, before asking one burning question of the franchise.
On Monday’s Inside the NBA episode, the Warriors star [who had come on as a guest] and the crew discussed Boston’s home woes. During this time, the Golden State Warriors star suggested a lack of leadership in the Celtics locker room was the reason for their underwhelming record. He said,
"Who's the leader that's going to step up and say, 'Hey, man, this is garbage.' … Steph Curry went on the road and beat them in Boston. It’s costing [them] championships now.”@Money23Green on Boston’s 15-15 home #NBAPlayoffs record since 2021 pic.twitter.com/TOcVXIEpja
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 13, 2024
“[Their home playoff problem] is a leadership thing. Who’s the leader that’s going to step up and say, ‘Hey, man, this is garbage. We’ve been struggling at home and it’s costing us now.’ Steph Curry went on the road and beat them in Boston. It’s costing [them] championships now. Who’s gonna be the leader and come in and step up and take the responsibility?”
Green is spot on. In the 2022 NBA Finals against the Warriors, the Celtics could’ve forced a Game 7. Instead, they lost Game 6 at home and saw Steph Curry and the Warriors lift the NBA title in their home arena. In last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, they lost three of their four home games against the Heat, including Game 7, which led to their exit.
Boston has several players with a wealth of experience in the playoffs. Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Al Horford have played in the NBA Finals in a Celtics uniform, while Jrue Holiday was a critical piece of the Milwaukee Bucks’ title-winning team in 2022. However, considering how shaky this team has looked on more than a few occasions, there are still questions left to be answered.
The Celtics have home-court advantage throughout their playoff run. If they win all their games at the TD Garden, they’ll win the title and raise a record-setting 18th banner in the arena’s rafters. But ironically, at the moment, it seems like their home form could become the reason why they fail, rather than achieve their goal.
Yet, despite everything seemingly starting to crumble around him, the Boston Celtics’ lead superstar seems to be in no mood to change up his style of leadership.
Despite it never working, Jayson Tatum isn’t budging from his leadership style
When the Celtics last won the NBA title in 2008, they had a stacked roster featuring three All-Stars in the starting lineup. But it was Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce who took the leading role, to end the franchise’s 22-year wait for a championship.
Sixteen years on, they have a roster on paper that could be deemed a superteam, but lacks vocal leaders like Garnett and Pierce who can raise the team’s spirits when the chips are down.
Jayson Tatum, the second-longest tenured and inarguably the best player on the Celtics roster, has been called upon by many to take that responsibility. However, while the Celtics star has accepted this role, he revealed that he was content with being the ‘silent’ kind. The Messenger‘s Jeff Goodman, Tatum said,
“When I need to, I make sure my voice is heard. And I do it in my own way. I’m not going to be out there jumping up and down screaming. That’s just not my personality. As much as people want to talk about it and want me to be that, I’m not changing who I am. I lead in my own way. I’m never going to be Kevin Garnett. As much as people want me to be, that’s not who I am. The way I lead, the public may not ever see what I do.”
Tatum’s leadership hasn’t yielded the results he’d have expected just yet. In nine games in these ongoing playoffs, he has averaged 24.2 points on 18.1 shot attempts per game, shooting an underwhelming 41.7% from the field. Add their two home losses to the equation and it’s clear that his leadership style hasn’t exactly done him any favors.
That said, these two defeats aside, the Celtics have been flawless, but they’ve had luck on their side as the Heat and Cavaliers have had to play well below full strength in multiple games. So, it still remains to be seen if Tatum’s silent leadership style ends the Celtics’ championship drought or adds to their playoff misery
