Boston is the betting favorite to repeat as champion, but the Celtics’ path to the mountaintop will be much more treacherous this season. Cleveland is a legitimate threat in the East, and looming in the West is a difficult matchup in Oklahoma City and a couple of other dangerous teams. If the Celtics are going to have another parade, they have little margin for error.
Which makes this concerning: Brown got a painkilling shot in his right knee this week, reports Ramona Shelburne at ESPN.
Last year’s Finals MVP has been dealing with a bone bruise in his knee for some time, but it appeared to be causing him more pain recently. He didn’t play much in the second half or overtime of the Celtics’ win over the New York Knicks on Tuesday. He then sat out Thursday’s loss to the Orlando Magic, ending any chance of him playing in the 65 games required to be eligible for postseason awards.
Kristaps Porzingis summed up the situation well to ESPN.
“He’s a tough dude,” Porzingis said. “He always preaches his warrior mindset. He lives by it. But to what extent do we need that right now? Maybe he needs to take care of it and make sure he’s going to be ready for the most important moment. I think we need to encourage him to make sure he does everything he needs to prepare to get it healthy and to prepare for what’s going to come.”
Brown is averaging 22.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists a game this season. His value to Boston jumps up in the playoffs as teams load up on Jayson Tatum, Brown’s scoring and shot creation become critical — it is why he was both Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals MVP last season.
Boston is going to need that version of Brown if they want to dance with the Larry O’Brien Trophy again.
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