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Boston Celtics Fans Will Not Like What NBA Legend Shaquille O’Neal Said
Every time an NBA team wins a title, there are always discussions about how easy (or hard) their path was in the playoffs.
Many people have pointed out how they think the Boston Celtics had an extremely easy run to the 2024 NBA Championship.
Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal recently spoke about their title run (via The OGs Show, h/t NBACentral).
O’Neal: “We all know Boston had the easiest run ever to that championship. Can they back it up? That’s all. Can you back it up? Okay, you had the easy run, don’t matter; you won it. Can you back it up?”
Did the Celtics have the easiest path to the NBA finals ever? 🤔
Watch full episode here: https://t.co/dGJfPnPozv pic.twitter.com/QhA7zbcD5c
— The OGs Show (@theOGsShow) September 21, 2024
The Celtics were the first seed in the Eastern Conference and had the best record in the NBA (64-18).
They beat the Miami Heat (five games), Cleveland Cavaliers (five games) and Indiana Pacers (four games) in the first three rounds of the playoffs to advance to the NBA Finals for the second time in three seasons.
All three teams dealt with injuries to their best players (Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell and Tyrese Haliburton).
Udonis Haslem and Shaq say that the Boston Celtics had an easy path to a championship 👀
(🎥 @theOGsShow / https://t.co/U3H0C2xlBo) pic.twitter.com/FmBqek5hGh
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 21, 2024
The Celtics then defeated Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
While it’s fair to point out they had weak competition, the Celtics also showed dominance by going 16-3 in the playoffs.
As for O’Neal, he is among the 20 best players in NBA history.
The four-time NBA Champion played 19 seasons for the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.