The Melted Brains Are Back Again After Rashad McCants Declares The Celtics Championship Window Is Closed

Brian Babineau. Getty Images.

There have been many incredible parts of the 2024 Boston Celtics winning the NBA title. Something we all dreamed about for years has somehow been actually better in real life. Even though it's now July 8th, it still doesn't feel real, and I'm not sure it will until we get to Opening Night and we all become Paul Pierce as we see everyone get their rings and raise the NBA leading 18th championship banner to the rafters

In the meantime, part of what has made this title so enjoyable and satisfying is watching how hard it's been for talking heads/podcasts/upset opposing fanbases to accept their new reality. As much as you want to deny it or pretend it doesn't exist, we have officially entered into the reign of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. A quick look at the free agent moves this summer pretty much confirms it. The entire league knows they have to start shifting to how the Celtics play (Mazzulla Ball), and they need a roster with as many versatile wings who can also shoot 3s as you can find. 

During the playoff run, it was fun to laugh at all the melted brain takes that filled the airwaves over the last few months. Let's not forget, the Mavs were going to "actually" be a tough playoff opponent and were the "real" playoffs compared to what the Celts had faced (IND was tougher tbh). Luka and Kyrie were the greatest offensive backcourt in NBA history that the Celtics had no answer for, the Mavs defense was going to be a shock to the Celtics, and many, many, many people picked the Mavs to win that series. They had the 2 best players in the Finals, remember?

Whoops!

Well, I'm happy to report that despite one of the most dominant regular seasons in NBA history which was followed up by one of the most dominant postseason runs in NBA history, the melted brains are back at it again. Only now, it's 100000000x funnier given that ya know, the Celts just won the title

The more you see these types of clips and takes, the more you get the feeling these people do not understand the words in which they are saying. For example, "inconsistent"? There is not a thing inconsistent about this Celtics team. In fact, their consistency is what made them so dominant! They never lost 3 games in a row ALL SEASON! They only lost 2 games in a row 4 times all year, and 2 of those came in late March/April when they had already locked up the #1 seed. Seems pretty hard to do that if you're "inconsistent", but oh well! They didn't lose 2 games in a row all playoffs long! 

There is nothing inconsistent about the Celtics style of play either. Oh, they shoot a lot of 3s? And? Guess what? They were also #2 (slightly trailing DEN) in the NBA in Post Up frequency. That is what makes them a nightmare to defend. There is not a style they cannot play. You want to play fast? OK. You want to go big? No problem. You want to play small ball? May I introduce you to Jayson Tatum at the 5 surrounded by elite shooting. The problem the rest of the NBA has to figure out is the fact that this version of the Celts is scheme-proof. That is fact, not opinion. The tape doesn't lie.

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As embarrassing as the Arenas take was, nothing comes close to Rashad McCants. Somehow, despite their best players being 26 and 27 and virtually the entire roster signed for the foreseeable future, the Celtics championship window is supposedly closed. Just think about that for a second. Now this does not mean they are guaranteed to repeat, that shit is hard as hell and nobody has done it since the Warriors Dynasty. But in no way does that suggest that your title window is "closed". In fact, I would argue the window has never been more open! It's not going to be open forever, there will be a time due to the new CBA where things have to change and Brad Stevens has to adjust, but to suggest their current championship window is closed is so insane I had to blog it.

There was a time in life when stuff like this would get under my skin, but that all changed on June 17th, 2024. Now, all you can do is point and laugh. The same people who have spent years doubting this team and doubting this core are clearly having a tough time coping, and that brings me nothing but joy.