The 2024 Boston Celtics Are Now Forever Stamped As One Of The Greatest Teams In NBA History
Brian Babineau. Getty Images.
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Surreal. That's it. That's the best way I can describe what this has all been like since we watched the clock wind down to 0.0 and the confetti rain down from the heavens above.
My very first blog was published in mid March 2015. The Celts lost on the road to snap a 4 game winning streak against the Thunder if I remember correctly, and ever since that moment we've been on the journey together searching and waiting for this moment. This is the first time in my Barstool career that my final Celts game blog will be a positive one, and at the end of the day I cannot stress enough how much you have all played a role in this.
Without you guys, this isn't my life. I don't get to do this. I think that's partly what makes this title so special for me, because we experienced it together. We grinded through the post-Big 3 trade seasons. We went through the highest of highs and lowest of lows with each other, dreaming that one day we would see this team get over the hump and reach then top of the mountain. Every pageview, every tweet, every comment, words don't even begin to describe what it means to have these last 10ish years with thousands of random internet strangers who at the end of the day don't feel like strangers. Even the ones who tell me I suck and wish nothing but pain for me when it comes to this team.
You know what? You had your time. But this is our time, and it's only right that we begin this blog with a sincere thank you. Thank you for reading. Thank you for clicking, not reading, and just skipping to the comment section. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. We did it. We really fucking did it.
No need to wait any longer, let's dive in
The Good
- Where on earth do we begin? While there are many ways you could go, I would like to start with the player that I feel like was the best player on the court last night. A player with all the pressure of the world on his shoulders. A player who is now stamped forever as a Celtics legend. A player who just punched his ticket to the HOF at the old age of 26. A player who has been through hell, only to come back stronger. A player we have watched from his first NBA dribble to becoming a champion.
We are starting with NBA Champion Jayson Tatum
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The entire NBA discourse around Jayson Tatum is one of the more baffling things you'll ever see. The amount of hate he gets daily is pretty insane for a guy who doesn't do much but dominate the NBA and hang out with his kid. There's no drama, there's no headlines, there's just hoops and winning. I think part of it of course is who he plays for, but the fact that so many out there continue to twist themselves into a pretzel instead of giving Tatum the credit he deserves is bananaland stuff. Sorry he kicked the shit out of your favorite team and won before your favorite player. Be better I guess?
Game 5 was Tatum's "Fuck You" moment. This was what needed to happen for the Tatum era Celtics to get over the hump and become champions. He needed to step up and take it. In a game where everyone was ready to pick the Mavs given what happened in Game 4, it was Jayson Tatum who was the best player on the court last night. I'd argue this was the best overall game of his career given everything on the line, and finally, after all these years, Jayson Tatum shut everyone up for good. Forever.
We were told he's not a #1. We were told he isn't "the guy". We were told he didn't have "it" or a "killer instinct". Well how do all those awful takes look now? Shit, just YESTERDAY people were killing Tatum for talking about being loose and not putting a ton of pressure on Game 5. They said that was the opposite mindset of a champion. Whoops! He only went out and had the best game of his career, but OK!
Everything about Tatum's performance was top notch. Offensively, he once again picked apart the Mavs defense with ease. Remember, we were told this was the best defense in the NBA. Didn't look that way to me, but oh well. Tatum had the perfect balance of scoring and creating for others, all while taking care of the ball (2 TOs) and playing great defense. When it came time to bury the Mavs for good, it was Tatum who exploded for 11 points on 4-7 shooting in the 4th quarter. Sure the game was never in doubt, but that's because Jayson Tatum exists.
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This win and this season was validation. Validation that Jayson Tatum IS the guy. Validation that Jayson Tatum IS a superstar. Validation that Jayson Tatum IS good enough to be a #1 on a title team.
- If we're going to talk validation, this feels like a great spot to get into the play of Jaylen Brown. Sorry, I misspoke. That would be NBA Champion and Finals MVP Jaylen Brown
To think of where we started with Jaylen to where we are now is enough to make a grown man cry. I say this as a grown man who cried watching Jaylen Brown lift his trophies. That's right, plural. To have been there since the beginning and to have gone through everything with these guys, seeing Jaylen come out of the other side of basketball hell like this is truly remarkable. What he has developed into as a player and a leader, I think it's fair to say that Jaylen Brown represents everything that it means to be a Celtic.
The hard work, the determination to always improve, taking the personal responsibility to guard the best player on the other team every single night since October, the huge clutch moments, understanding what it means to play for this franchise and this city, Jaylen Brown is a tremendous Celtic and few deserve to have their named stamped as a Celtics legend forever more than him.
Part of what makes this title so special for both the players and the fans is the fact that the foundation of this championship was homegrown. This was the dream that began over 10 years ago, and now here we are
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The best part? We are JUST entering the NBA prime years of both Tatum and Brown. The window hasn't even opened yet and they already have 1 title under their belt together. Now with that pressure off their backs, it wouldn't shock me if this turns into the first of many. We have officially entered the Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown Era of the NBA, and god does it feel fucking great to say that.
- When we say the 2024 Boston Celtics are one of the greatest teams in NBA history, that is not hyperbole. Cry about it if you want, but the proof is in the pudding
Wire to wire, the 2024 Boston Celtics were not just the best team in the NBA. They dominated the NBA in ways the league had pretty much never seen before. Again, that is fact not opinion. This type of pressure is what defined their entire season, either we were going to see the Celts stamp themselves as one of the greatest teams ever, or we were going to witness the greatest choke job in NBA history. That's what the two options were this season. You're either GOATed or labeled a historic choker for the rest of your basketball life.
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Nobody in the league had to deal with pressure like this from the jump, and at no point in this season was there ever a letdown. This is a team that did not lose more than 2 games in a row all season long. They had like five or six separate 5 game winning streaks. They had two separate 9 game winning streaks. They won 10 straight playoff games, including 7 straight on the road. They had more 30 point wins than double digit deficits. They set the record for most 50 point wins in a season. They had the best offense in NBA history. They held the supposed "best offensive backcourt in NBA history" to under 100 points in 4 of 5 Finals games.
Quite simply, this is one of the best teams in NBA history. We knew it in October, and it was solidified in June. Forever.
- Let's talk about that defense for a second. Holy shit. They say defense wins championships and I have to tell ya, I'm finding no reason to think otherwise.
In 2024 to hold a high powered offense like the Mavs to under 100 points in 4 of the 5 Finals games is absurd. On the season, the Celtics held their opponent to under 100 points a total of 26 times. Not bad! Their record?
26-0.
All this talk about how the Celts defense wasn't going to be able to handle the big bad scorers coming from the West, are we ready to admit how fucking stupid that was? Was nobody watching the 2nd best defense in the NBA all season long? It just goes to show how unwilling people were to accept what was right in front of their faces for the last 8 months. Real ones knew Joe was the mastermind behind the 2022 defense and that run, then he backed it up with a top 3 defense in 2023, and then now a championship caliber defense in 2024.
That's the beauty of how this team is built. There are no defensive weaknesses. The two best players are not cones on the defensive end, they are All NBA caliber defenders who can guard multiple positions. The point of attack defense is the best in the league, and even the bench guys come in and guard. The Mavs had zero answers for what the Celts threw at them defensively after they took away the lobs and corner 3s, which just goes to show you how locked in Joe was with his gameplan. Just like Spo, Carlisle, and Bickerstaff, JKidd had no clue what to do or how to counter.
- Al Horford forever. Easily the best part of this entire title run is getting Al the ring he so clearly deserved. Everything changed when Al decided to come over back in 2016, and the Celtics are not where they are right now without him. Imagine not being able to figure out how to win with Al Horford? It's the easiest shit of all time. The guy is the ultimate winner and you can't figure out how to use him? How embarrassing for you
Just do yourself a favor and listen to this man. I'm ready for one more run
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- I still cannot believe this went in
Actually that's a lie. Yes I can. This is just what Payton Pritchard does. Frankly this all felt like payback for the Jordan Poole bullshit we had to deal with back in 2022 and you know what? I accept.
- Celts won the rebounding battle 51-35, they never trailed and were never tied, and their largest lead was 26. Fitting that their title clinching win was wire to wire, just like their season long dominance was wire to wire. They were due for a game in which they finally looked like themselves and boy did they pick the perfect time for that to happen.
47-6 at home this season including the playoffs. 9-2 this postseason including winning their last 6 in a row. Not bad for a team that apparently struggled and couldn't win playoff games at home. Whoops!
- Sam Hauser has earned himself a blank check when it comes time for his extension. Just name the price. It wasn't just his shotmaking early, but once again Hauser more than held up defensively in the biggest game of the season. He moved his feet, his hands were active, he stood his ground, it was all incredible to watch. It felt like those garbage time minutes in Game 4 snapped him out of his funk and the rest was history.
Remember, he makes like $2M a year. Another win for Brad, but what else is new?
- I would like to take this time to thank Pat Riley, the Milwaukee Bucks, and Joe Cronin for the gift of Jrue Holiday. The Celtics could not have won this title without the effort of all those people, and for that I am forever grateful
Let's call it what it is. Jrue Holiday is a kingmaker. If you have an elite franchise player that needs to get over the hump and win a title, you bring in Jrue Holiday. It's as simple as that. He becomes just the 11th player ever to win a title in the first year with a new team, and his first Celtics postseason run was BY FAR better than any of us could have expected.
13.2/6.1/4.4/1.1 on 50/40% splits with a TS% of 61.7% in 19 playoff games. This was a guy who hadn't cracked 50% TS% in his last 3 playoff runs, where all we heard about entering the year was that Jrue was a playoff dropper. Whoops!
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I'll tell ya what, that extension by Brad before the playoffs is already aging beautifully. Chalk that up as yet another Brad win. While some of the smoked bunnies had us stressing at times, there is no denying that Jrue Holiday was as integral to this championship as anyone. What he did defensively is obviously insane, the offense coming around like this doesn't seem real, and a game like last night showed why he's so valuable. 11 rebounds? All that crashing the offensive glass to keep possessions alive? Those are the margins that make you a champion, and that is certainly what Jrue Holiday is.
- Once Derrick White gave up his beautiful smile all in the name of winning
deep down you knew the result was inevitable. As we say, the Basketball Gods are always watching. They reward the team who plays the hardest and respects the game. Last night, that was clearly Boston. They were first to the floor time and time again, they were willing to put their body on the line for the sake of a title, and as a result, they were rewarded
It also doesn't hurt that Derrick had 14/8, went 4-8 from deep, and had yet another insane block at the rim as a point guard
Talk about another guy that is validated by this title, coming off his 2022 Finals performance it's hard to not get emotional when thinking about what Derrick White has turned into. He's another guy that has a blank check this summer when it comes to his extension. Name the price and it's yours as far as I'm concerned. Another player who embodies everything it means to be a Boston Celtic, and nobody deserves all the good coming his way more than DWhite.
Sometimes it feels great when the good people actually win and come out on top.
- I will watch this on a loop for the rest of my life
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- No bullshit, it was such a relief that the 2024 Boston Celtics are not the first team in NBA history to blow a 3-0 series lead. While logic and rational thought told us this wasn't going to happen, there's always a chance at history. We saw how close the Celts got last year, eventually, it's going to happen.
I am thankful that for the rest of time, that will not be the story of the 2024 Celts. Instead, their story is of being an all time great team both in league and franchise history. Instead, they are stamped forever. I can't lie, I much prefer this option.
- Even though he clearly wasn't right and there were times where his minutes were a bit rough, it's hard to not appreciate what Porzingis gave this team in Game 5. It had to kill him to miss this run only to make it back in the Finals and be incredible just for that to be taken away again in Game 3. His health will always be a factor for his entire time in Boston moving forward, but whatever. He's a champion. He helped this team win a championship. Whatever comes next is gravy as far as I'm concerned.
- New blog rule. If you win the NBA title, you only get a Good section. It's only right.
So here we are. They did it. They really did it. I dunno about anyone else, but I haven't been able to stop saying that to myself since the final buzzer sounded. Our dreams actually became our reality. It doesn't even feel real, and I'm not sure it ever will. Something we've all wanted for so long, it's a bit hard to process even all these hours later.
The 2024 Boston Celtics are NBA champions. Say that shit out loud and try not to smile. It's impossible.