A Finals hotel reservation reflects growing confidence in Jayson Tatum and Boston’s ceiling
There are predictions, and then there are non-refundable deposits.
On Thursday’s episode of NBA Today, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst casually revealed that he has already booked a hotel room in Boston for June.
Not a soft hold.
Not a “let me check rates in May.”
A reservation.
The reason?
A belief that the Boston Celtics could be back in the NBA Finals.
Windhorst admitted the timing is partially practical - Gillette Stadium will be hosting men’s World Cup matches in June, which will squeeze hotel availability across the region. But he didn’t dance around the basketball part of it.
“I also believe that if Jayson Tatum comes back, that puts the Boston Celtics a leg up,” said Windhorst.
That’s the hinge.
For months, everything about Boston’s ceiling has revolved around the health of Jayson Tatum and the Achilles injury that has temporarily reshaped the Eastern Conference. Before the injury last May, the Celtics were a team that had June-or-bust expectations. In the wake of the injury, they’ve had to prove to the world they can survive without him.
Windhorst, clearly, thinks he will be back. And when he is, the team will go up another level.
And it’s not like he’s hedging exclusively toward Boston.
He said he’s checked hotel availability in Cleveland, Denver, Detroit and New York. He booked Oklahoma City “months ago,” anticipating the Thunder could repeat as champions.
He even locked in restaurant reservations. That’s commitment.
ESPN basketball analyst Brian Windhorst speaks during an Akron Roundtable meeting at Quaker Station, Feb. 19, 2026, in Akron, Ohio. (Jeff Lange/USA TODAY NETWORK/Imagn Images)He also has lodging secured in San Antonio, where the Spurs have surged behind Victor Wembanyama.
“I really think that we're going to be in San Antonio or Oklahoma City in June,” said Windhorst.
Maybe.
But the fact that Boston is firmly in that travel portfolio says something.
Because if you’ve followed the Celtics lately, you know this hasn’t been a smooth glide path.
They’ve battled injuries, minute management and the nightly grind of being circled on every opponent’s calendar. They’ve looked dominant in stretches, vulnerable in others.
The East hasn’t exactly rolled over.
Still, when Tatum is right, Boston looks like a team with a different gear - the kind that can toggle between suffocating defense and five-out offensive precision without blinking. The kind that forces national reporters to quietly refresh Marriott apps in February.
A hotel reservation doesn’t hang a banner. It doesn’t guarantee a duck boat parade route.
But it does signal belief.
And in late winter, with questions still lingering and June still theoretical, belief - especially the kind that comes with a confirmation email in Windy’s inbox - is a telling thing.
Oct 27, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum greets a fan at the end of game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Boston Celtics at Smoothie King Center. (Matthew Hinton/Imagn Images)JOIN THE CONVERSATION:
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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.