Getty Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics.
Antoine Walker gave some strong opinions on his former team, the Boston Celtics, and the finals run they made in June. Walker, who played for Boston from 1996 to 2003 and briefly in 2005, said that the Celtics gave away the title to the Golden State Warriors.
“I hate to take away from Golden State, but if you go back and watch the film, Boston gave Golden State that championship,” Walker said August 7 during an interview on the “Locked on Heat” podcast.
Walker, won a championship with the Miami Heat when they defeated the Dallas Mavericks in 2006, used Game 4 of the 2022 NBA Finals as a point of reference.
“They were up four or five with four minutes to go. They probably took seven straight 3-point shots, and it wasn’t from Jayson Tatum. It wasn’t from their best player on the floor. Then the last two games, you turn it over combined 42, 43 times in two games against a team like Golden State. It’s no way you can win, so you’re really beating yourself.”
Antoine Walker (@WalkerAntoine8) says Miami would have had a better chance than the Celtics to beat the Warriors in the Finals.
“I hate to take away from Golden State but, if you go back and watch the film, Boston gave Golden State that championship.”
Walker: Miami Had a Better Chance
Walker also said that Miami, whom the Celtics beat in the Eastern Conference finals, would have fared better against Golden State in the NBA Finals than the Celtics, who lost 4-2.
“I think they would have had a better shot. I don’t know if they could have scored enough to keep up with the Warriors, but defensively they would have been so stingy. That’s where the Heat and the game plan would have been a lot different than the Celtics.”
Which team had the better defense is debatable. The Celtics had the second-lowest defensive rating in the NBA throughout the playoffs, allowing 106.3 points per 100 possessions, according to NBA.com. The Heat were right below the Celtics, possessing the third-lowest defensive rating, allowing 107 points per 100 possessions. The only team ahead of them was the Milwaukee Bucks.
Walker also said that Miami’s discipline and head coach Erik Spoelstra’s experience and expertise would have helped the Celtics.
“They would have been a little more disciplined. Erik Spoelstra has been there before. I thought [Celtics head coach Ime] Udoka did a terrific job, but Erik Spoelstra’s been there before, [so] it would have been a little different.”
While former Celtics like Walker may criticize the team following their finals performance, others believe they will learn from it.
Glen Davis: Celtics’ Experience Will Pay Dividends
In an August 3 interview with VladTV, former Celtic Glen Davis said that while losing stinks, the Celtics’ march to the finals gave them the taste of what a playoff run like that does for them.
“There are different levels of the playoffs. Every level is a different level,” Davis, who won an NBA title with the Celtics in 2008. “[The] first round is the first round, but the energy is [at] a different level. … But every level is so important, and now you guys understand the feeling of winning an Eastern Conference finals. You know what it takes to go to the finals. You know what it takes to close now. What energy you’ve got to have [and] what you’ve got to be able to do.”
Davis also said he believed they can win it all because the Celtics’ young stars now have experience to go along with their talent.
“With the right guys that experience it, they’re going to win a championship because they hate that feeling of losing. I was happy [they had] that learning experience. The future’s bright when you got Jaylen Brown and Tatum really being all-stars.”
Davis started his career in 2007 with the Celtics, playing in their playoff rotation from 2008 to 2011.