The Boston Celtics have completed their thrilling playoff run, emerging as the 2024 NBA champions and becoming the all-time winningest franchise with 18 championships after defeating the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
Although it’s clear that Boston won the title in dominating fashion, their run hasn’t been free from narratives and criticisms. Former New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton had some blunt comments to make before their title win.
It’s no secret the Celtics faced injury-plagued teams on their path to the NBA Finals, including the Knicks. In their second-round matchup, the Knicks were hampered by injuries to OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Mitchell Robinson, Julius Randle, and Bojan Bogdanovic.
It’s uncertain how the series might have turned out if the Knicks had been fully healthy, but Felton is confident that a healthy Knicks team would have defeated Boston in fewer than the seven games the series ultimately lasted.
“Man, they may beat (Boston) period. It may not even go 7,” Felton theorized (h/t Knicks Muse). “You’ve got to think about it. (OG) Anunoby was out, (Bojan) Bogdanovic was out, (Julius) Randle out, Mitchell Robinson out. You talking about four dudes that could really start.”
Raymond Felton on a healthy Knicks team playing the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals:
“Man, they may beat [Boston], period. It may not even go 7. You gotta think about it. Anunoby was out, Bogdanovic was out, Randle out, Mitchell Robinson out. You talking about 4 dudes… pic.twitter.com/7bNIO4fF26
— KnicksMuse (@KnicksMuse) June 17, 2024
