Hundreds of thousands of fans will flood the streets of Boston to celebrate the capture of Banner 18. The city of Boston has enjoyed 12 parades in over two decades, but this triumph feels special and more significant because it marks only the 2nd championship for the Celtics in that period. Before the finals, it feels like most analysts were predicting a Dallas Mavericks victory, but the Celtics proved the doubters wrong by winning resoundingly. Still, despite the win, it feels like this has not received the universal praise they richly deserve when compared to champions of the past. In this article, we will discuss four reasons why this team deserves to be celebrated for their achievement.
1. Regular Season Dominance- the Celtics attacked the regular season with a vengeance. The team racked up 64 wins and suffered only 18 losses on their way to the number-one seed in the conference and the best record in the league. The Celtics led the Eastern Conference by 14 wins which is the biggest margin ever. The team boasted 1.22 points per possession and a 122.2 offensive rating, which was the best in history. The Celtics became the first team to win 3 and 19 games in the regular season by 50 and 25+ points respectively. Finally, the Celtics defeated every team in the regular season except the Denver Nuggets, who they lost both games to a combined 8 points. Yes, the Celtics were dominant from the start and benefited from resting players at the end of the season while their rivals were battling for seeding, and the attrition led to injuries when it mattered most in the playoffs.
2. Playoff Domination- the Celtics stormed to the NBA title with one of the best playoff runs in recent memory. The last teams to win in such dominant fashion were the 2017 Warriors and 2001 Lakers, who only lost one game in their playoff run. In 10 of the 16 wins, the Celtics won by at least 10 points, which showed their dominance. In 9 of their 16 wins, the Celtics held their opponents to under 100 points, including four times in the Finals against the Mavericks. Overall, the Celtics finished with an 80–21 combined record, which is the second-highest win percentage in team history.
3. The epitome of Team Basketball-Brad Stevens’ deserves credit for building an incredible team through the acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday before the start of the season. The ability of their starters to be the best players on the court and take advantage of mismatches made it difficult for teams to defend. Consider this, in the playoff run, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown surpassed Larry Bird and Kevin McHale for most playoff games in franchise history with at least 25 points each. Also, Derrick White became the third player ever to score at least 35 points, make eight 3-pointers, and three blocks in a game. In the Game 5 clincher against the Cavaliers, Al Horford became the first player to record at least ten rebounds, five 3-pointers, five assists, and three blocks in a playoff game. Jrue Holiday averaged 14.4 points, 50% from the field, 40% from three-pointers, and 100% from the free-throw line in the NBA finals. Kristaps Porzingis jolted his team in Game 1 of the finals by scoring 16 of his 20 points in the first half of Game 1. In a sport defined by superstars, the strength of this team was the collective effort, and selecting who to win the Finals MVP was a mystery. In the end, they did not get individual recognition and awards from the regular season, but they left the season with the most important hardware.
4. Stumbling Over Hurdles to Win the Gold Trophy- the Celtics also present a compelling story of a team finally winning after overcoming setbacks and disappointment. The team built its foundation through the draft by acquiring Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum with back-to-back number 3 picks in the NBA draft. The Celtics have made six appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals in the past eight years and lost to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. The players embraced the challenge of erasing those painful memories by picking themselves up and doubling their efforts towards winning it all. The team played with the weight of expectations, doubt, criticism, cynicism, and setbacks. After reaching their destination, it feels like this team appreciated the journey which made the triumph feel even better.