There Is Nothing Quite Like The Playoff Stress Ahead Of A Title Or Bust Season

When the clock hit 0.0 in the Celtics' final game against the Hawks, everything in my life immediately shifted.

This is certainly not the first playoff run I've experienced in my life, in fact, it's the 25th. Outside of the 2013-14 tanking season, the Celts have made the playoffs every season since the 2007-08 title year. Not too many franchises can say that.

And yet, this year is not like all the others. In my opinion, there is only one playoff run that compares to the expectation and stakes that this year has. That would be the 2007-08 season. For my money, that was the last time we had a true title or bust season when it comes to the Boston Celtics. 

That doesn't mean there haven't been years where the Celts were "contenders". The 2009, 2010, 2019, and 2022 seasons come to mind, but those were not "title or bust" seasons like 2008 and 2023. They just weren't. Last year was about finally getting over the hump of the ECF and actually breaking through with this core, in this era. Everything is entirely different for this run, and I'm not sure that's even debatable. 

Over the course of my life, I've experienced it all when it comes to this team at this time of year. We've experienced what the top of the mountain feels like, we've experienced being bounced early, and worst of all, we've experienced the pain of coming up short with a title within their grasp. That type of pain changes you and sticks with you forever. You don't think I haven't thought about Game 7 in 2010 every single day since? Game 4 of the 2022 Finals still haunts me and we're about 300 days since that series ended. It's going to be that way until my final breath.

But that's what makes this time so awesome. When your favorite team not only has a legit chance to win the whole thing, but is expected to do it, the run feels different. This isn't just about finally getting out of the second round or making the Finals for the first time. We've done that already. This is the big boy shit. We tend to throw the word "contender" around for just about anybody, but that's not the case. There are maybe 3 or 4 true contenders who not only have a legit chance to win the whole thing, but have the expectations along with it.

The 2023 Celtics spent the last 6 months basically being the best team in basketball

Their entire season has been about one thing. Winning the title. That's how it was in October and that's how it is in April.

The pain of that Finals loss molded this year's team, I think that's pretty clear.

As a fan, this was one of the most enjoyable seasons in a long ass time. The most wins since 2008-09, atop the league in basically every metric/category no matter where you looked, individual leaps by key players, it was a rather enjoyable 6 months which was definitely a relief because coming off a Finals loss, things don't always bounce back like that. 

And for the first time since 2007-08, the stress/excitement/anticipation of this playoff run has taken over my life unlike any of the previous years. Every 5 seconds I find myself thinking about those 16 wins. When I close my eyes to go to sleep at night, I'm thinking about 16 wins. When I wake up, I'm thinking about 16 wins. When I'm doing laundry or cooking or walking my dog or taking a shower, my brain is locked in on the same thing. 16 wins. Shit, even as I blog this right now I'm thinking about 16 wins. We're still 4 days away from the first round even starting and I can barely eat. Imagine having an appetite when a title is on the line? 

This isn't to say I haven't been excited about previous runs, but I can't stress how different this feeling is. I feel it in my bones, in my soul, in every breath I take. I imagine fellow Celtics fans who share a similar deranged brain as myself know the feeling I'm talking about. It's the type of feeling you only get when your favorite team is expected to win the whole goddamn thing. They are not normal playoff nerves that everyone has. 

To put it simply, this is either going to be the greatest 2 month run of our lives or one of the worst failures we've ever experienced watching this team play, and I am molded by the Rick Pitino era. There is no "well they made a good run" this time around. Those days are over. 

I consider it a privilege to have this type of stress/excitement/pressure/anticipation. It means the team is really fucking good. If the Celts play to their potential and just be the team we saw over the last 6 months, they can win the title. The talent is there, the experience is there, and maybe most importantly, the pain from previous failures is there. 

Just know that if you're also like me and you find yourself losing your mind, you are not alone. There are probably dozens of us. Many will call us pathetic and losers and all that, and that's fine. It certainly wouldn't be the first time, and I can acknowledge that it's maybe a little weird. But at the same time, I don't give a fuck. This is all I know how to be, and it's been this way since birth.

After tonight we'll know who the Celts are playing on Saturday and it'll probably feel even more real that we are about to embark on a journey that is sure to chop at least 5 years off our lives. I cannot wait.

Love and Trust.