Ex-NBA veteran predicts Celtics start year 'with some attitude'

Despite winning the 2024 NBA championship, the Boston Celtics have been the subject of a consistent media narrative aimed at discrediting their achievement. Joe Mazzulla's team has been accused of having an easy run to the NBA Finals due to multiple opponents missing their star player during the postseason.

According to former NBA wing Eddie Johnson, Boston's players haven't had the enjoyable summer that's supposed to come with winning a championship. As such, he's expecting the Celtics to embark on another dominant season as they play with an attitude and look to prove the media and their doubters wrong.

"You're supposed to celebrate and party all summer," Johnson said via Sirius XM NBA Radio. "Nothing should get you upset. And we saw some negative stuff, and that's not something that they did. ...They haven't had the happiness, man, that a normal champion has. So, I think they're going to come back with some attitude, I do. ... I wouldn't be shocked if they went on a tremendous run again."

Boston ended the 2023-24 regular season with the top-ranked offense in the NBA and the second-ranked defense. They were first in Net Rating. After securing the top seed in the Eastern Conference and the best record in the league, they were bound to enjoy a favorable postseason run.

As such, using their opponents as a reason to discredit their success is disingenuous. The Celtics reaped the rewards for the hard work they'd put in throughout the season. They didn't let themselves get lulled into a false sense of security when playing teams that were down a player or two. Instead, they were locked in from the opening tip to the final buzzer, game after game.

Johnson may be onto something. The Celtics are at their best with their backs against the wall. They've been written off before and came out swinging. Despite all of the roster moves around the league this summer, they're arguably still the deepest and most talented team on the planet.

Boston has all the tools to secure another championship this season. Over the summer, the media has given them all the fuel and drive they need to ensure there's no championship hangover.