Welp, The Celtics May As Well Pack It In After Shaq Calls Them The Most Overrated Team In The NBA
Sometimes, everyone needs a good laugh. Life can get stressful and things can have you in a bad mood where the only cure is laughter. Generally, laughter fixes all.
That was my reaction after watching that clip. Overrated? Said with a straight face? Now that's funny considering we're currently living in a time when the Celts are in the midst of one of the greatest regular seasons the NBA has ever seen (fact, not opinion. Look it up). Sure there were times where maybe a statement like this might have some weight, but in 2024? Nothing about what Shaq makes any sense.
We all know the ultimate goal is to win a title, and unless the Celts finish the job, none of this matters. But just listen to Shaq's reasoning in that clip. Yes, for the Celts (and anyone) to win a title, everyone has to level up. That's how the NBA works. But his argument for why they are the most overrated team in the NBA simply makes no sense. It's about "consistency and dominant consistency"........OK....like this?
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If there's one thing that has been undeniable so far about the 2023-24 Celts, it's the fact that they have not only been consistent, they've legitimately been as dominant as any team in the history of the NBA. Does that guarantee a title? Certainly not. But it also does not make you the most overrated team in the NBA.
Slice it however you want. Against good teams? Best record in the NBA. Against bad teams? Best record in the NBA. At home? The best record in the NBA. On the road? The best record in the NBA. Offense? Best in the NBA. Defense? 2nd in the NBA. Net rating? Best in the NBA.
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Hell, they have more 30 point leads than 10 point deficits on the season!
Even if you want to hold their previous postseason failures against them, those losses are coming in the ECF and NBA Finals. Shaq is aware there are teams that don't even sniff those rounds correct?
And hey, if you don't think the Celts are good enough to win the title, that's fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. When talking about titles, the only way to prove you're good enough is to go out and do it.
But to suggest that a team that is 62-17, up 14 in their conference and 7 games on the entire league is "overrated" is just trying too hard. If the Celts are overrated despite their season, well then what the hell does that make every other team in the NBA? If they really aren't this good, well then why do so many teams have trouble beating them?
That doesn't mean they are without their faults, and it doesn't mean they will have a cakewalk to the title. They have to go out and take it.
But I'll tell you this, if they do pull it off?
Not only does the "overrated" bullshit stop, but "one of the greatest teams in NBA history" conversation starts. All the ways people play around with Jayson Tatum's name? That stops forever. Just like it did with every star before him that finally broke through and won a title.
It's why the other day I talked about how no team in the NBA enters the 2024 playoffs with more pressure than the Celts to win the whole thing. This Shaq clip sort of backs up my point. They can have one of the greatest regular seasons the NBA has ever seen, and there will always be haters out there that can't help but call them "overrated".
All I know is if they do win, I'm going to need Shaq to stay on his side