The defending champion fell down! The Celtics were defeated in shame and were eliminated, and they could not escape the curse. The curse may face a huge change this summer

On May 17, the NBA playoffs continued. In today's Eastern Conference semi-finals, the Celtics lost to the Knicks away and were eliminated by the Knicks 2-4 in the series, and the journey of this season ended.

With Tatum's absence due to injury, the Celtics only had the strength to play in the first quarter today, only 6 points behind the Knicks. However, after entering the second quarter, the Celtics were defeated by the Knicks on both offense and defense, and were beaten 38-17 in a single quarter, falling behind by 27 points in the first half. After entering the third quarter, the Celtics were quickly widened by the Knicks to more than 30 points, and at most it was even behind to 41 points. The game then lost the suspense of victory or defeat early, and both sides replaced the main players in advance, announcing the end of the game.

In this way, the Celtics were eliminated by the Knicks with a total score of 2-4, and the journey of this season ended, missing the goal of defending the NBA championship this season. For the Celtics, the journey this season is too difficult. They have suffered consecutive injuries in the regular season and finally won the second record in the Eastern Conference with 61 wins and 21 losses. In the playoffs, Porzingis, Holiday, Hauser and others also suffered different injuries in succession. In addition, Tatum suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in the semi-final G4, and the Celtics completely lost hope of defending their title.

It should be noted that since the Warriors in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, no championship team has been able to defend their titles. Among them, the Warriors in 2018 reached the finals in the following year. Since the Raptors in 2019, the defending champion has not even made it to the division finals. The Celtics were once optimistic this season, but they also couldn't escape the curse of defending their title, and they stopped in the second round of the division, just like the Nuggets (2023), the Warriors (2022), and the Bucks (2021).

In addition, the Celtics' future path is not easy. Tatum suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon and his recovery period was expected to be 9-12 months, which almost indicates that he will not be able to compete next season. At the same time, the Celtics are also facing huge salary pressure. According to reports from famous reporters Shams and others, regardless of whether the Celtics can defend their title this season, they will be limited by salary pressure and have to reorganize the lineup. Now Tatum's serious injury will create more possibilities.

How do you think the Celtics should adjust next? Welcome to give your suggestions in the comment section.