"You’re competing against ghosts" - Jrue Holiday describes weight of expectation and pressure while playing for Celtics

When Jrue Holiday was acquired by the Boston Celtics before the start of the season, many people called him the missing piece to a championship team. With the Celtics one win away from their 18th title, it might be true. However, the weight of expectation and pressure of playing for Boston is no joke.

In an interview with Yahoo! Sports ahead of Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Holiday was asked about the pressure of wearing the classic green and white jerseys. The Celtics are one of the most history-driven franchises in the league even though they have only won one title since the 1990s.

"I don't think anybody will know it until you play here. And that's not even just for somebody like me. I don't think anybody knows that type of pressure that you get when you're signed to a team like the Celtics. You're not just competing against the team across from you, or the other teams in the conference to get to the Finals. You're competing against ghosts," Holiday said.

The ghosts Jrue Holiday is talking about are the legendary teams and players that won championships for the Boston Celtics. Red Auerbach is one of the greatest coaches and executives in NBA history. Bob Cousy and Bill Russell first built the dynasty along with Bill Sharman, Tom Heinsohn, K.C. Jones and Sam Jones.

The next generation of Celtics players then came along with John Havlicek and Dave Cowens followed by the "Big 3" of the 1980s – Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish.

The next 30 years only brought one championship courtesy of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce in 2008. It has been a rough time for Celtics fans since Bird retired, but they maintain a legacy that might only be matched by the LA Lakers.

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Did the Bucks gift Jrue Holiday to the Celtics?

Did the Bucks gift Jrue Holiday to the Celtics?

Former MVP Joel Embiid asked a very interesting question during the NBA Finals about Jrue Holiday. Embiid posted on X if the Milwaukee Bucks were responsible for the Boston Celtics' championship if they win it.

Holiday was the missing piece for the Bucks when they won it all in 2021, but they traded him away to the Portland Trail Blazers as part of the Damian Lillard deal. The Blazers had no use for the underrated guard, so the Celtics scooped him up before the start of the season.

Draymond Green reacted to Embiid's question and gave his take on the Bucks gifting Holiday to the Celtics. He said:

"The answer to Joel's question is yes, they actually did because they traded Jrue away and I just think like you got to find and do all you can to keep Jrue because Jrue can guard bigger. Jrue can play off the ball, on the ball, there's no mismatch with Jrue and Dame. I think there's some other things Milwaukee could have done to keep Jrue."