u/Frequent-Control7090

I think the weirdest part of the Gordon Hayward what-if is that the injury that wrecked Boston’s plans also helped create what came next.

The Celtics won 55 games without him that year and then took LeBron to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals (Scary Terry going 2-for-14 and 0-for-10 from three will haunt me forever), largely because Tatum and Brown were forced into roles nobody expected them to have that soon.

If Hayward stays healthy, maybe Boston is playing Golden State in the 2018 Finals. But maybe the Jays don’t develop quite as quickly. Maybe 2018-19 doesn’t become such a chemistry disaster with a healthy All-Star Hayward. Maybe Kyrie’s entire Boston tenure looks different.

Nine years later, there are still a ridiculous number of dominoes to follow from those first five minutes of the 2017 season.

I feel like Brown’s “not really” answer about talking to Tatum made all the Jaytheists out there think they were right about them all along.

There were obviously fair questions about their fit on the court, but it always felt like their relationship off of it became part of the “Can they coexist?” conversation. Looking back, just feels odd that people cared so much whether they were friends when they spent nine years proving they could win together.

I was 14 years old when LeBron dueled the Big Three in the 2008 playoffs.

Somehow, 18 years later, we're still talking about him as a legitimate obstacle standing between the Celtics and another championship. That kind of longevity is almost impossible to wrap my head around.

Going back through every chapter of the rivalry reminded me just how many different versions of LeBron and the Celtics we've seen over the years. Curious what everyone's defining LeBron-Celtics moment was.

Since the trade, I've noticed two conversations happening at once.

One is about the overall direction Brad Stevens is taking the roster: flexibility, draft capital, shorter contracts, etc.

The other is about Paul George.

Those aren't really the same conversation, but I think they're going to become one once the season starts. George isn't replacing Jaylen Brown, but he's the only part of the trade fans will be able to evaluate every night. Curious if others think that's fair, or if he'll get more grace than I'm expecting.

It feels like we’ve been dropped into the wilderness without water, food, or a map.

Brad Stevens gave his explanation, but “optionality” is still a hard thing to process when the return for trading JB depends so much on what comes next.

For a few days, it really felt like the Jays era might be coming to an end. That may still happen given this morning's reports from Windy and Shams, but I wouldn’t be surprised if JB stays in Boston.

I originally started this as a Jaylen farewell piece when it looked like Boston was the frontrunner to land Giannis, then reworked it after Milwaukee opted for Miami's package. Felt it was still worth writing about what the possibility of losing JB made clear: how much he has grown here, what he has given the city beyond basketball and why his place in Celtics history is already secure.

Forsberg had a great piece this week on Mazzulla logging serious miles this offseason to see Baylor Scheierman and Neemias Queta. Wanted to write more on what those trips reveal about the gap between public Joe and the coach his players know and trust.

Watching the Knicks make the Finals after building almost entirely through trades and free agency made me appreciate the Tatum-Brown era a little more.

The Celtics drafted two top-tier stars, watched them grow up here, won a title with them and have made sustained winning feel normal. I know it's hard to appreciate in the moment, especially after seasons like this year, but this kind of homegrown run is so much rarer than it feels when you’re living through it.

Baylor aka Big Shot Bob feels like one of those players where I’m still not totally sure what the label is, but I’m increasingly convinced that’s kind of the point.

Wrote about the weirdness, the usefulness and why his role matters for this Celtics roster.

Pritchard is about to move beyond the “great bargain” conversation, and this offseason feels like the first time the Celtics have to decide what he really means to their future. Extend him? Protect him? Use his contract in a bigger move only if it clearly raises the ceiling?

Curious what y'all think we should do with PP.