Is Jrue Holiday leaving Boston? The Celtics star opens up about his NBA future after loss to Knicks

The Boston Celtics‘ six-game loss to the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals was a tough blow. They had been preparing to make another run at the title they won last year, but things didn’t go as planned and their postseason run ended far earlier than expected. Now it’s time to look ahead, and Jrue Holiday addressed what comes next.

“I think that we still have a really great opportunity and a great window to be successful, and win a championship again,” Holiday said during a Saturday press conference in Boston. “I think the talent that we have on this team, not only on the court but the coaching staff… the opportunity to win is now and I still want to be a part of that.”

With those clear words, Jrue made his intention to stay with the Celtics for a third consecutive year known. However, he also acknowledged that the decision isn’t entirely in his hands. “I think the things that I can control, I do my best to control. But other than that, I try my best not to worry about it,” he said.

“So for me, offseason, having a little break, getting back right and preparing for next season is all that I could really do. Who comes back, roster changes and things like that, it’s not really in my control. So I just focus on what I can,” added the guard, who played in 62 regular season games and 8 playoff games this year.

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Holiday feels the Celtics came up short

Much of the motivation Holiday expressed for staying in Boston stems from his belief in what this team can achieve moving forward, based on what they’ve built over the past two NBA seasons. “I think that we had the best team in the league,” he said.

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That’s why the loss to the Knicks was such a bitter disappointment. “It’s a lost opportunity,” Jrue admitted. “The chemistry that we had, that we built from last season, even coming into this postseason and how we were feeling, I feel like we are disappointed in ourselves. We felt like we let the organization down and the city down.”

Credit to the Knicks, according to Holiday

Despite his disappointment with Boston’s early exit, Jrue Holiday also gave credit to New York for earning their spot in the Eastern Conference Finals. “I think going against a team like the Knicks, who play hard and will always give themselves a chance, hats off to them. They played very well,” the guard said.

“I can’t necessarily say that there was anything that we did or didn’t do,” Holiday added. “I think most of the games we played, we were up quite a bit. We are a team who down the stretch executes pretty well, we’ve seen it last year. We’ve seen it throughout the season this year. That’s why we’ve won so many games, but sometimes you figure things happen and it didn’t go our way.”