The Boston Celtics' quest to repeat as NBA champions was already on perilous ground when they lost Jayson Tatum to a devastating injury. They were officially dispatched from the playoffs by the New York Knicks in six games and now must figure out a path forward without their best player for an extended period. That means the franchise is entering a different era than the one they've enjoyed over the past nine years, which have featured six trips to the Eastern Conference finals, two to the NBA finals and one Larry O'Brien trophy.
LeBron James had an interesting thought on their stumbles when prompted by Steve Nash on the latest Mind the Game podcast, offering that Boston may get occasionally disinterested by all of their success.
