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Celtics co-owner Grousbeck thinks team is 'overrated' entering season

Brian Babineau / National Basketball Association / Getty

Many have pegged the Boston Celtics as favorites to win the 2023 NBA title, but team co-owner Wyc Grousbeck has more tempered expectations for his squad entering the season.

In an interview with Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe, Grousbeck said that despite last season's success, he doesn't believe Boston is a shoo-in to reach the NBA Finals again.

"I really loved being part of the Celtics throughout that run. I loved being right there with them. It was thrilling. The other side of the coin is I think that we've now been overrated," he said. "I think that performance was a bit overrated in the public mind - or my own mind, because I'm the one saying it.

"(We were) a finalist and two wins away from winning it, but when you look back, Brooklyn was a tough series, and then we had to go seven games (against the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat). Then we lost (to the Golden State Warriors). So, we're not a hands-down team to repeat as Eastern Conference champions. I think we're a quality team."

After starting last season 18-21, the Celtics turned things around to finish second in the Eastern Conference with a 51-31 record. They eventually made their first NBA Finals appearance since 2010, losing in six games to the Warriors.

Boston opens the 2022-23 regular season on Oct. 18 against the Philadelphia 76ers.

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