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A Dominant Season for the Boston Celtics

On June 17, 2008, the Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in six games to win the NBA championship. It was the franchise’s 17th title, the most in NBA history at the time.

On June 17, 2024, the Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in five games to win the NBA championship. They have surpassed the Lakers for the most titles in NBA history. 

For a franchise to win a championship 16 years from the previous one is a full-circle moment. And to do it in front of the home crowd is even more.

How Did They Do It?

Every championship run has a background story, and the 2023-24 Celtics are no different. They made major roster changes after failing to complete the first-ever 3-0 comeback and losing to Miami in seven games. For starters, they acquired Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday in the offseason. They traded away Marcus Smart, Robert Williams, and Malcolm Brogdon.

The Jrue Holiday-Derrick White backcourt was just too much for the opposing team. But it was not just those two playing stellar defense. The frontcourt also knew how to put people on clamps. They were considered to have the best starting five in the league. They were the only team to finish in the top three in offensive and defensive ratings. 

On March 3, 2024, the Celtics became the first team in NBA history to have three 50-point wins in one season. They did against the Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers, and the Brooklyn Nets. This was just one of the many things that detailed how lethal their offense was. 

They dominated throughout the regular season, finishing with a 64-18 record (37-4 at home). They were the only team to have less than 20 losses and separated themselves from the second seed by 14 games. This was the first time in the Brown-Tatum era that the Celtics finished with the number one seed.

Finishing Up

Of course, the postseason matters the most. It is no secret that Boston has had some disappointing playoff losses over the last few years, especially on their home floor. Losing some of those home games led to them playing their opponents longer than they should have due to elimination games.

The Celtics continued to show the world why they were a different team by dominating the entire postseason and reaching the NBA Finals. Through the first three rounds, they only lost two games. They were tested in the conference finals against the Indiana Pacers when they found themselves down by double digits in three games, but they could pull through and complete the sweep.

Boston did exactly what they were supposed to and got some extra rest, thanks to ending each series early. They were without Porzingis for most of the postseason due to a calf injury in game 4 of the first round. They were able to overcome his absence, which allowed him to be ready for the finals.

The Celtics took on the Dallas Mavericks; once again, it was a quick series. Boston won the first three games, which basically sealed their championship. Dallas managed to avoid a sweep by winning game 4, but Boston dominated in game 5 in front of the home crowd. 

The Celtics’ championship win was amazing in multiple ways: The Jays finally earned a ring, Al Horford secured his first ring in his 17th season, Jrue Holiday celebrated his second ring in his first season with the Celtics after being traded, and Joe Mazzulla became the youngest coach to win the NBA Finals since Bill Russell in 1969.

All Questions Will Be Answered

Can Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown be on the same team? Will the Boston Celtics ever get over the hump? Will they be able to execute down the stretch against good teams? What will the Celtics do when the three-point shots are not falling? 

The Celtics have done everything that was asked of them. They have heard the criticism and slander directed at them and the doubt and reluctance to pick them as the favorites to win it all.

The Boston Celtics dominated the regular, postseason, and the NBA finals. All the sacrifice and hard work paid off, and they are champions. Now that the Celtics finally got it done, Tatum has just one question: “What they gon’ say now?”

Photo Courtesy: @celtics/X

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