Because the East semifinals upsets happened simultaneously, I don't think people have quite processed how shocking they were. Via https://SportsOddsHistory.com, they were two of the nine biggest playoff upsets in the 2000s by pre-series odds.
Comments
Log in with your Bluesky account to leave a comment
I think it's super interesting how the continued rise of 3-point shooting leads to increased variance all while everyone's promoting betting apps. I wonder how many people got completely busted out?
The Celtics went 19-3 over their final 22 games, finished with the 2nd best offense and 5th best defense, won their first round series in 5 and had what looked like a healthy lineup going into round 2 against a team they had an average margin of victory of 16 against.
The Celtics and Knicks could play 10 more times and never have another 20+ pt lead blown in the 2nd half.
This series was an outlier in sooo many respects. But perhaps to the OPs point, injuries playing a major factor aren’t such an uncommon scenario any longer.
Yes, the first two games were a bit of an outlier as were the first two games of the Cavs-Pacers series. The Knicks played significantly better in the second half of game 4 where they weathered a solid game from the C's and Tatum, and the Knicks played really well in game 6, especially defensively.
I agree. 20 point comebacks in the playoffs are not common. Granted, I give credit to the team who staged the comeback. The Cavs had defensive weaknesses. The Pacers are talented enough to take advantage of it. The Cavs also decided to play iso ball too.
people were pearl clutching brown’s knee, and zingus and jrue weren’t healthy
but the celtics under the j’s have never seemed to live up to their potential outside of last year, which was one of the easiest paths in recent vintage due to injury luck (which teams always need)
KP & Jrue were healthy going into the series.
We saw Jaylen drop 36/10/5 on Orlando.
The Celtics haven't lost in the 2nd round of the playoffs when the Jays were playing since Kyrie was on the team in 2019, and I'd hardly say that was viewed as a yr "under the Js".
'19 - Lose to bucks in rnd 2 as Kyrie quits
'20 - Lose rnd 1 w/ Jaylen/Kemba out
'21 - Lose ECF in 6 to the #1 Heat
'22 - Lose finals to the Warriors
'23 - Lose ECF in 7 to Heat
'24 - NBA Title
But yes, losing as -820 favorites in rnd 2 in 6 gms wasn't a surprise cause the Js usually come up short🙄
they do usually come up short; they have every year but last when the bracket fell their way injury wise
and they still underperformed in those years: needing 7 games against an injured bucks in 22, blowing the 2-1 lead in the finals that same year, going down 0-3 to 8 seed heat in 23…
Going into the series, we knew that Jalen Brown was dealing with a significant injury, Sam Hauser had gotten hurt in the previous round, and Porziņģis had a mystery wasting disease. The odds should never have been that long. (NYK acquired OG and bridges specifically for this matchup)
Hauser's injury came in the series opener and Porzingis' illness became more of a concern in that game, too. Acquiring Anunoby and Bridges helped so much they got swept by the Celtics in the regular season. Everything is obvious after it happens.
Comments
we’ve seen this cavs team be off droppers for 3 consecutive years, and the pacers were playing better since around late january onward
it was also pretty clear that this boston team wasn’t as good as last year’s; everyone just kept telling themselves they’ll “turn it on”
This series was an outlier in sooo many respects. But perhaps to the OPs point, injuries playing a major factor aren’t such an uncommon scenario any longer.
pacers have made crazy comebacks and been excellent in the clutch since late february
we’re about to have 7 different champions in 7 straight years
but the celtics under the j’s have never seemed to live up to their potential outside of last year, which was one of the easiest paths in recent vintage due to injury luck (which teams always need)
We saw Jaylen drop 36/10/5 on Orlando.
The Celtics haven't lost in the 2nd round of the playoffs when the Jays were playing since Kyrie was on the team in 2019, and I'd hardly say that was viewed as a yr "under the Js".
'20 - Lose rnd 1 w/ Jaylen/Kemba out
'21 - Lose ECF in 6 to the #1 Heat
'22 - Lose finals to the Warriors
'23 - Lose ECF in 7 to Heat
'24 - NBA Title
But yes, losing as -820 favorites in rnd 2 in 6 gms wasn't a surprise cause the Js usually come up short🙄
and they still underperformed in those years: needing 7 games against an injured bucks in 22, blowing the 2-1 lead in the finals that same year, going down 0-3 to 8 seed heat in 23…
it wasn’t that shocking is all
this celtics team wasn’t as motivated coming off a chip, and they were always relying too much on good 3point variation