The post NBA analyst makes bold prediction on Celtics NBA Finals tickets originally appeared on The Sporting News. Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
The Boston Celtics may have taken some wind out of their sails with a 103-84 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night, but the team still sits in second place in the Eastern Conference with a 38-20 record. Even without superstar forward Jayson Tatum, the Celtics look to be one of the most dangerous teams in the league this season.
advertise
While Boston may not win a championship this season, the Eastern Conference seems to have the door wide open, so a berth in the 2026 NBA Finals cannot be counted on just yet. In fact, according to ESPN’s NBA analyst Brian Windhorst, he’s already booked a hotel in Boston for the upcoming Finals in case the Celtics make it there, albeit with some hiccups.
“I have (hotel reservations) in Boston,” Windhorst admitted on NBA Today. “The World Cup is in Boston, and I know it’s in Foxborough, but Europeans and South Americans are not going to stay in Foxborough. I also believe that if Jayson Tatum comes back, it gives the Celtics an advantage.”
Tatum’s potential recovery from a torn Achilles tendon he suffered in last year’s playoffs is something of a wild card, keeping the rest of the league on their toes. If he can successfully fit into Boston’s rotation, it’s hard to argue that it wouldn’t at least make the Celtics the best team in the East.
Of course, no one knows when or if Tatum will actually play for Boston this season. For now, the Celtics are just trying to find a way to win as many games as possible, and they’re hoping to pull off a bounce-back win against the Brooklyn Nets when they return to action on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
More NBA: Chandler Parsons has interesting praise for Celtics’ Joe Mazzula