The Boston Celtics started the free agency period quietly, not making a single move on day one. They had limited resources to work with going into the off-season, holding no cap space, but they held multiple traded player exceptions, including one worth $17.1 million from the Evan Fournier sign and trade deal last off-season with the Knicks. Along with those trade exceptions, the Celtics were armed with only the taxpayers mid-level exception - worth roughly $6.5 million per year- and minimum contracts to offer. The Celtics weren’t exactly primed to be big spenders in free agency, but they had enough ammunition to add depth and improve the team on the margins. A team, that is, that just went to the NBA Finals and came up just short of winning a title with a young roster and a rookie head coach. Things were looking good going into the off-season for the Celtics, but fireworks and big splashes weren’t necessarily expected (or needed). All of this made it pretty normal, and almost expected, that the Celtics essentially sat out day one of free agency, allowing their competitors to toss around big money at the flashy names (frankly there weren’t a lot of stars changing hands - purely via free agency).

The Boston Celtics showed up fully rested and ready to go for their pivotal game five of the NBA Finals in the Chase Center on Monday night. They came in 7-0 in these playoffs following a loss, and looking to respond to a game four collapse in Boston. Spirits were high, as fans have witnessed this team play their best basketball in the wake of their worst, especially in the biggest moments. But on this night, in the biggest game of the season, and the biggest game of many of these Celtics’ careers, the team put forth a mostly lackluster performance. They came out flat, struggling mightily on offense and digging themselves a 24-8 hole not even 10 minutes into the contest. The Celtics would settle into the game eventually, especially defensively - where they played very well - but spotting a team like the Warriors a 16 point lead in the blink of the eye on the road is a near death sentence. Boston looked like an inspired team after half, putting together an amazing start to the third quarter and even taking the lead briefly. But sustaining that level proved to be too great of a challenge as the Warriors would retake the lead at the tail end of the third and then completely dominate the fourth quarter to defeat the Celtics 104-94 and take a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals.

On Friday night at TD Garden the Boston Celtics had the opportunity to take a 3-1 series lead in the NBA Finals, and all but put the Warriors away. They came out with the proper level of intensity and with focus, and for about 40 minutes it appeared that the Celtics were on track to take that commanding series lead. But the Warriors had other ideas and put on a two-way clinic for the final few minutes to take the lead and then pull away for a 107–97 win to even the series at 2-2.

The Celtics came home after a disappointing game two loss in Golden State that included a total meltdown after the half. All year long, and especially in these playoffs, we’ve seen this team bounce back, show resolve and resilience, and play their best basketball following their worst performances, and in game three they did it again. Wednesday night in TD Garden, the Celtics came out in front of a raucous crowd and took it to Golden State from the jump. Everything lacking in the second half of game two showed up very early. The Celtics were the more aggressive and intense team, and made sure the Warriors felt their physicality immediately. Desperation and urgency was apparent, as the Celtics came out in attack mode and jumped out to a 15 point lead in the opening minutes. Boston was in control for almost the entire game until the Warriors made one of their patented third quarter runs, momentarily taking the lead, before the Celtics regrouped with a dominant fourth quarter to win game three going away, 116-100, taking a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.

Going into these NBA Finals, it’s safe to say that most Celtics fans would have been happy to split the first two games on the road and head to Boston with the series tied 1-1. But the way things unfolded Sunday night in the Chase Center has to leave a bad taste in the mouth of Celtics nation. After winning game one in dramatic, comeback fashion, it was always going to be a tall task to defeat the three time champions in their own building again. In fact, only twice in NBA Finals history has the road team won both games one and two. So the odds were stacked against them, and in some ways it felt like they were playing with house money, having already stolen game one. But the Celtics have been better on the road than at home lately, and they had a real chance to take a stranglehold of these finals, and they completely collapsed. Following a tightly contested first half, Boston turned in yet another disastrous third quarter effort, losing the frame by 21 points, and causing Ime Udoka to waive the white flag with almost an entire quarter left as the Warriors back ups were able to coast to a comfortable 107-88 victory, tying the NBA finals at 1-1 as things head to Boston.

The Celtics knew they would have their work cut out for them to win the NBA Finals, but especially to win game one in Golden State. The prevailing narrative seemed to be that the Warriors had more rest, more experience, and had home court advantage. While the Celtics were coming off a brutally taxing seven game slugfest with the Heat, and not a single player on the team had a second of experience in the NBA finals. Early in the game, this seemed to be the case. Boston looked nervous and a little tight, making mistakes - especially on defense - and taking some time to lose the jitters and settle into a basketball game. Through three quarters, the Warriors had mostly been dominant and it appeared as if game one would be mostly a learning experience for Boston. But everything shifted in the fourth quarter, as the Celtics completely dismantled the Warriors on both ends to the tune of a 40-16 run, going from down 12, to up 15, eventually emptying the bench and coming away with a monumental 120-108 game one victory in Chase Center.

The Boston Celtics are champions of the Eastern Conference. They certainly didn’t make it easy on themselves, and perhaps exerted more energy than was necessary, but ultimately none of that matters. After a painful game six loss at home, the Celtics were left to think about the opportunity they had squandered in TD Garden. Once again, as they have done many times in these playoffs, they were forced to go on the road with their backs against the wall and survive a do-or-die game seven in Miami. And survive they did. Boston bounced back from that gutting loss and showed the type of resolve in the face of adversity that has become almost expected from this group. The Celtics threw the first punch, dominating the first quarter and building up a 15 point lead that they were able to ride to victory. Things got a little hairy down the stretch, and Jimmy Butler had a shot that would have given the Heat a one point lead in the final seconds. But the Heat could never get over the hump and the Cetlics were able to hold on for a wire-to-wire game seven win, 100-96. The team will now face the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA finals, the first finals appearance for every player on the Celtics roster, and the team’s first appearance since 2010.

Winning game five in Miami provided the Boston Celtics with a golden opportunity to close out the series at home and advance to the NBA Finals. It felt like Boston had snatched the Heat’s will and they were riding a great wave of momentum into the TD Garden on Friday night, with a finals berth in mind. But Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat had other ideas. Butler was incredible from start to finish and the Celtics simply were not crisp enough on either end to get the job done. Despite the raucous home crowd and the obvious ramifications that came along with a win, the Celtics seemed unprepared for the moment. They came out flat and lifeless, taking almost a whole quarter to get into the game. They spotted the Heat a 10 point lead just over seven minutes into the game and never fully recovered. Butler did the bulk of the heavy lifting, but the Heat got solid contributions up and down the roster, including some incredible clutch shot-making down the stretch. The Celtics pushed and were never out of the game, but they could never get over the hump and fell to the Heat 111-103. With that, the series is now tied at 3-3 as things head back to Miami for the decisive game seven.

In each of the first four games of this Eastern Conference Finals series, the amount of time when each team has been playing well simultaneously has been minimal at best. Wednesday night in Miami for game five the crowd was treated to the opposite, as both teams struggled mightily to score in the first half. The Celtics and Heat had battled for four straight games to a 2-2 stalemate, and came into game five banged up to say the least. Seemingly every meaningful player is dealing with some kind of ailment or injury, but the only player to actually sit out was Tyler Herro. In the ever critical game five, both teams came out with intense physicality and effort on defense, and both teams were equally bad on offense. The Celtics completely stifled the Heat half court offense, while Miami kept forcing turnovers, and the Celtics missed shot after shot, which led to a 42-37 Heat lead at halftime. Whatever Ime Udoka said to his team at halftime, the message got across, as Boston came out and almost matched their first half output in the third quarter alone, dominating the Heat 32-16 in the third, which propelled the Celtics to a massive 93-80 win, taking a 3-2 lead in the series, and moving within one win of an NBA Finals berth.

Two nights after being humiliated on their home floor, the Boston Celtics bounced back in a big way, dominating the Miami Heat for a resounding victory in TD Garden Monday night. Their performance in game three was embarrassing, particularly coming out flat to start the game and digging a 39-18 hole after just one quarter. But in game four, Boston made sure things would be different this time around and completely suffocated the Heat from the outset. The Celtics jumped all over Miami, starting the game with an 18-1 run, forcing Miami to miss their first 14 field goal attempts, and Miami didn’t make a shot until there was just 3:32 remaining in the opening quarter. The Celtics didn’t let up defensively at all, wrapping up the first quarter with a 29-11 lead, completely flipping the script from the previous game. Boston would continue their dominance, leading 57-33 at the half, stretching the lead as far as 32 at one point, and coasting to a comfortable 102-82 victory, and leveling the Eastern Conference Finals at two games apiece.

Just as the Celtics received some unfortunate news prior to game one, they received some surprising positive news shortly ahead of tip-off. The Celtics got word that Al Horford had cleared the league’s COVID protocols and would be available to play in game two. His return, along with the return of Marcus Smart from a foot injury provided a massive, much needed lift for Boston on both ends of the court. The Celtics came out missing some shots early, digging themselves into a 10 point first quarter hole, but the team would rally for a 60-21 run to finish the half with a 70-45 lead, burying Miami in the process. The Heat would make a mini run in the third quarter, but never managed to get closer to 17, as the Celtics rolled to a convincing 127-102 victory to even the Eastern Conference Finals at 1-1 as the series shifts to Boston.

The Celtics received some tough news shortly before tip off of game one in Miami on Tuesday night as they learned that they would be without Marcus Smart and Al Horford. Smart injured his foot in game seven of the Bucks series, so his absence wasn’t a shock, but the Horford news was out of left field. Horford tested positive hours before the game and entered COVID protocols, meaning he will likely miss game two as well. Going to Miami for game one after only a day of rest coming off a physically and mentally exhausting win over the Bucks was always going to be a tough task, but without two starters it proved to be impossible. Boston looked like the better side in the first half, but the wheels came off entirely in the third quarter, allowing the Heat to cruise to a 118-107 victory in game one.

The Celtics showed up at TD Garden on Sunday afternoon on a mission to vanquish the Bucks and extend their season, and that is exactly what they did. This team already faced the ultimate challenge on Friday night when they went into Milwaukee facing a 3-2 deficit, and rallied to tie the series and force a game 7 in Boston. After that, there was no way they couldn’t finish the job. The Celtics showed heart in this series, and especially in these last two games, that some weren’t sure existed, as they took the reigning champions’ best shot, and came out victorious. They came out with energy and aggression all game, suffocating the Bucks relentlessly until they pulled away for good in the second half. Ultimately, the Celtics got over the hump and ran away from the Bucks for a resounding 109-81 game 7 victory and a 4-3 series victory over the Bucks securing a meeting with the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Celtics put themselves in a precarious position when they choked away game 5 at home to fall behind 3-2 to the Milwaukee Bucks in their Eastern Conference semifinals. They traveled to Milwaukee for game 6, facing elimination unless they could come up with a road win against the defending NBA champions. Luckily, the Celtics were able to do just that, thanks in large part to a Jayson Tatum masterclass. Tatum scored 46 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter to help his team hold off another fourth quarter rally by the Bucks and get to the finish line with a 108-95 victory, setting up an epic do-or-die game 7 in Boston on Sunday afternoon.

All was well in TD Garden. With 10 minutes to play in game five on Wednesday, The Celtics had a 93-79 lead, the Bucks called a timeout, and the Garden was going crazy. After a Pat Connaughton three, Jayson Tatum blew by him on the other end for a dunk to put Boston up 13 on what felt like a signature moment that would propel the Celtics to a 3-2 series lead. But over the last 9 minutes, the Bucks showed their championship resilience while the Celtics showed every one of their flaws, resulting in an epic collapse. The Celtics wilted and choked away the lead and let the Bucks steal game five, 110-107, and take back home court advantage. Now The Bucks lead the series 3-2 and will head back to Milwaukee to try and close out the series at home.

With the Celtics season on the line, the team rose to the occasion and played some of their best basketball of the season. Boston played a largely frustrating game for three quarters in Milwaukee on Monday night, and it seemed like nothing was going their way. But the Celtics were able to turn it on and rally for a 43 point quarter to steal a 116-108 win over the Bucks and level the Eastern Conference semifinal series at 2-2. The 43 points were the most by any team in a quarter this postseason, and the second most in a quarter by the Celtics in the postseason all time. The offense finally seemed to solve the Bucks defense, and not a moment too soon.

After a long layoff, both teams started a little slow on Saturday afternoon in Milwaukee. The hot shooting that helped carry the Celtics to a game two victory was nowhere to be found, and their superstar Jayson Tatum had one of the worst performances of his career. The Celtics maintained their physical defense and were able to find enough scoring to hold a 50-46 halftime lead. But the Bucks absolutely dominated the third quarter, and held a 13 point lead with under 10 minutes to play in the game. Boston battled back, showing great resilience, and even took a lead at one point with just over a minute left. But the Bucks hit a couple of big shots down the stretch, and the Celtics’ last second tip-in was ultimately just after the buzzer, allowing the Bucks to escape with a 103-101 win to take the lead in the series 2-1.

The Celtics responded to their first loss of the postseason with a resounding victory on Tuesday night in Boston. They came out of the gates looking like a different team than the one that lost game 1 101-89 and was bullied by the Milwaukee Bucks. But in game two it was the Celtics who took on the bully role right from the opening tip, racing out to a 15-3 lead, growing that all the way to a 65-40 halftime lead, and finishing the job for a 109-86 victory.

Sunday afternoon in TD Garden the fans witnessed something that hadn’t been seen in 2022; a double digit Celtics home loss. Both teams came out looking a little jittery and sloppy - typical for a game 1, especially with an early start time - but the Bucks gained their composure and showed championship poise as they dominated the Celtics with defense to steal game 1, 101-89. The Celtics were able to jump out to an 8 point lead in the first quarter, but the Bucks recovered and took the lead near the end of the quarter and the Celtics could never get back within striking distance.