BOSTON — They swept Kevin Durant and dominated Giannis Antetokounmpo in a Game 7. They are only halfway to their goal, but the Boston Celtics look like championship favorites after two NBA playoff rounds.
Nobody knows better than the Celtics how difficult it will be to outlast the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals, given their six-game exit from the Orlando bubble in 2020. But these Celtics are not those Celtics. They are battle-tested, defensive-minded and explosive offensively. They are all grown up.
"Although they're young," said first-year Celtics coach Ime Udoka, "they've been through some things.