LeBron James is offering a criticism this week of one of his biggest career rivals.
On the latest episode this week of his podcast “Mind the Game” with Steve Nash, the Los Angeles Lakers star James spoke out about the Boston Celtics in the wake of their elimination from the playoffs. James said during his remarks that he believes the Celtics can get bored and complacent at times on the court.
“You think they get bored sometimes?” said James. “Like, they’ve been doing this s–t so long. It seems like they get bored sometimes with the – I don’t want to say the process – because they are who they are.
“When you look at [Jayson] Tatum and [Jaylen] Brown, this is years and years and years and years,” James added. “They’ve punched their 10,000 hours, but sometimes it seems like they get a little bored because of how great they are, not only as those two as individuals, but them as a team. And sometimes, it looks like they get bored.”
James’ take shouldn’t really be a controversial one. The Celtics were the NBA champions last year on the strength of their wrecking-machine offense that set an all-time record for single-season offensive rating (123.2). They also have a rich history of success with their Tatum-Brown core, making (over the years) five trips to the Eastern Conference Finals and two trips to the NBA Finals in conjunction with their 2024 championship.
But this season in particular, the Celtics did indeed appear prone to stretches of disinterested play. During their second-round series vs. the New York Knicks, Boston blew multiple 20-point leads on their home floor, putting them behind the eight-ball in the series even before Tatum tore his Achilles. They eventually went on to lose the series 4-2, ending the Celtics’ hopes of a second straight title.
Now it looks like Boston’s sense of complacency, which was apparent to even James, might end up costing them dearly. Some prominent NBA figures believe that the Celtics, in the wake of their second-round exit, could now have to blow up their team this summer.
H/T NBA Reddit
