Steve Kerr firmly feels that the Celtics have a shot to win the championship.

Steve Kerr firmly feels that the Celtics have a shot to win the championship.

Boston — Four of the previous nine NBA titles have been won by the Golden State Warriors; their most recent victory came in 2022 against the Boston Celtics.

However, Boston’s head coach Steve Kerr wouldn’t be shocked if the team soon hoisted its own championship banner.

In response to a question on Sunday about whether he believed the current Celtics team had what it takes to win the team’s first championship since 2008, Kerr showered the C’s with accolades.

“Yeah, why not?” Kerr stated prior to the Warriors’ game against Boston at TD Garden. They’ve been in danger for six or seven years, really. Excellent structure, consistently receiving excellent coaching, and consistency — they possess all the necessary elements.

“I believe that winning a championship in this league always involves a little bit of luck. They’ve done a tremendous job of giving themselves as many chances as possible, and I believe it’s only a matter of time before they break through. Sometimes things go your way, and sometimes they don’t.

“This is, I think, the best version we’ve seen of this team.”

In five of the previous seven seasons, the Celtics have advanced to at least the Eastern Conference Finals. They advanced to Game 7 of the 2023 East Finals before falling to the Miami Heat, following their defeat by the Warriors in the 2022 Finals. In response, Brad Stevens, president of basketball operations, added two All-Star players in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis during the offseason. Together, they have propelled Boston to an NBA-best 47-12 record as of this Sunday.

The two key distinctions between this Celtics team and the one Golden State faced in the 2022 Finals, according to Kerr, are Holiday and Porzingis.

“That’s two really high-level players added to what was already a great team,” Kerr stated. “I believe that Jrue adds another ball handler and playmaker to Boston’s defense, taking up a lot of Marcus Smart’s defensive contributions. Kristaps, in my opinion, transforms everything just by his floor spacing and all-around offensive style.