Draymond Green: Celtics must 'win it all' or it's a 'failure'

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green. Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

'Ain't good enough': Draymond Green claims Celtics must 'win it all' or it's a 'failure'

By Adam Taylor | Last updated 5/18/24

The Boston Celtics are in the Eastern Conference finals. They will face either the Indiana Pacers or the New York Knicks. The winner will progress to the NBA Finals, where they will compete for the NBA championship. The Celtics were eliminated from the 2022 finals by the Golden State Warriors.

Draymond Green was a member of that Warriors team, winning his fourth championship as a result. In the latest episode of his "The Draymond Green Show" podcast, the veteran forward detailed why the Celtics are under incredible pressure to win a championship this season.

"Tim Legler said the Celtics season will be a failure without a championship," Green said. "I normally disagree with s--- like that. It be like hot take-ish. Tim Legler is absolutely correct on this one. Jaylen Brown making $300-plus million soon to be Jayson Tatum making $300-plus million dollars. It's a failure. You go out and get Jrue Holiday. You go out and get Porzingis. And the season went exactly how you wanted it to go when you made those moves...Guess what? It's time to win. And it's time now. We don't care how many conference anymore. A finals appearance ain't good enough. You've got to go win it all."

“Jaylen Brown making $300-plus million soon to be Jayson Tatum making [the same]… It’s a failure… A finals appearance ain’t good enough. You got to go win it all.”

Draymond Green on the Celtics

(via @TheVolumeSports)pic.twitter.com/C6tUwSFHpt
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 18, 2024

The Celtics have been to six of the last eight Eastern Conference finals. They have progressed out of that round once. Their roster is constructed for immediate success. They've dominated the NBA throughout the regular season. Given the talent on the roster and the luxury-tax bill that is associated with it, Boston must secure a championship within the next two years.

As such, they're under significant pressure to finally get over the hump. Of course, they can't look too far ahead. Whoever they face in the conference finals will be a tough test. You don't make it this deep into the playoffs without being an elite-level team. Still, the Celtics are expected to progress out of the conference finals. They're expected to be champions. If they fail, that label will stick with this roster for the rest of its time together.

The Celtics have had enough developmental years. They pushed their chips all-in this summer. Now it's time to prove the media hype is true.

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