“What if every little thing works completely?” is probably the most ineffective query within the universe. However we’re going to ask it anyway.
In the complete historical past of the world, the variety of instances “every little thing” has simply “labored completely” is strictly zero. Nothing ever goes precisely because it’s purported to. Even when it’s 99.8 p.c excellent, and that stray .2 doesn’t matter or change the consequence, it nonetheless is ideal. So, asking if the 2024 Boston Celtics shall be excellent is solely not a severe query.
However I’m not a severe particular person, so right here goes: what if Jayson Tatum turns into a forty five p.c three-point shooter and wins league MVP? What if Jaylen Brown makes no errors and has such a convincing season that he cements his place as a top-10 participant? What if Jrue Vacation and Derrick White proceed to enrich one another to create one of the crucial damaging and mature backcourts in NBA historical past? What if Kristaps Porzingis heals tremendous, performs nice and by no means re-injures something?
Effectively, if all that occurs, and we sprinkle in some “Payton Pritchard is Jalen Brunson with worse PR,” the Celtics are going to win one other championship. In actual fact, they’re going to win like 70 video games and go 16-1 within the playoffs. If this Celtics staff is wholesome and everybody simply will get higher, we might as properly simply FedEx specific mail on this season to the historical past books and save everybody the difficulty for roughly $3.75 in postage.
That is clearly not going to occur, and thus asking the above query is a reasonably foolish waste of time. However asking every of these questions individually — which we right here at CelticsBlog have actually finished — it’s not an issue. They’re completely legitimate by themselves, and questioning about Tatum’s taking pictures or Porzingis’ damage timeline is the bread and butter of Celtics media. It’s the beginning of the preseason no much less.
So why can’t I simply say what everyone seems to be pondering? If all of this might plausibly work out individually, why can’t it work out collectively? Why put a restrict on our desires?
As a result of all of us stay on the earth, and perceive that you simply set your self up for disappointment in case your baseline hope — even when that’s all it’s — is perfection. I select to fixate on Tatum’s taking pictures bettering however solely casually comply with Porzingis’ damage. Others may even see Porzingis’ restoration because the keystone to a different championship, and don’t a lot care about if Tatum can enhance by 4 proportion factors from three.
We hedge our bets for our personal sanity. It’s like asking for a pony for Christmas however fairly hoping for a canine. However you’ll be able to’t really hope for a pony and get irritated once you wind up with a chocolate lab. It’s simply an unfulfilling lifestyle.
However that’s if we’re being life like and measured, which is simply about 60 p.c of my worldview. The opposite 40 is predicated on the absurd perception that every little thing goes to work out, as a result of I’d reasonably assume that than sit round and mope about how the world is in opposition to me whereas growing contingency plans for all of my eventual failures. What a lame option to stay.
Simply name me Marie Jean Antoine Nicolas de Caritat, Marquis of Condorcet, as a result of I consider within the infinite perfectibility of man. Each particular person, NBA participant or in any other case, can get higher, and I don’t see why Boston can’t work arduous sufficient and get fortunate sufficient that each one of those particular person questions get answered with an emphatic “sure!”
So proper after Media Day, when each NBA staff will get to carry a “hey guys, every little thing goes to work nice” conference, I see no drawback with hoping that every little thing goes to work completely. Certain, I’m asking for a pony. However I understand that there’s a time and a spot to ask for a pony, and are available November I’ll be completely tremendous if the season ends with a pet.
