The Boston Celtics won game 5 of the NBA Finals 106-88 and clinched their NBA record 18th Championship. Man, did I love typing that sentence. So, part of me wanted to write this Monday night after the game and just let it be everything I was feeling and thinking at the moment but I decided to wait and let everything sink in. Usually when I write any article, 5 minutes later I think of a bunch of stuff I should have put in it. I didn’t want that to happen to this one. I wanted to take my time and get it a right as I could. So let’s talk about the 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics.
Let’s start with game 5 itself. I have to give credit to Dallas for playing hard the whole game. At the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second the Celtics opened up a 20-point lead and it would have been very easy for the Mavericks to roll over the way the Lakers did in 2008. But they kept fighting. Given, they never really made it a game after that, but they did actually win the 3rd and 4th quarters. I tip my hat to them for fighting till the end. They just didn’t have the horses to compete with the Celtics when the Celtics were full engaged and on their game. No one did.
For the Celtics in game 5, they played their game and got the job done. It was a typical Celtics game with everyone on the court making plays on both ends. I have to give a shout out to Sam Houser who had a great game for himself. Getting good contributions from guys after their top six made the Celtics unbeatable. Sam made his threes and played some superb defense throughout the game (and the series) and made a real difference. Houser should be very proud of the way he played in the close out game of the NBA Finals (and really how he played all season).
When they called a foul for Doncic with 4 seconds left in the half, the first thing I thought was “where’s Pritchard”. I wasn’t sure they were going to put him in as he had not played at all in the first half but Coach Mazzulla knew what he was doing and put Payton in the game. Not counting the quarter and a half of garbage time in game 4, Pritchard was 2 for 18 in the Finals. But he made the two most memorable shots of the series. When his shot hit nothing but net to end the half, you knew it was over.
I was very happy that Kristaps Porzingis was able to play in game 5. He really couldn’t move and if the game was close, I am not sure he should have played in the second half, but it was cool seeing him contribute to the final victory of the season. Hopefully his surgery goes well and he is able to start the season off fresh next year. And hopefully he will have better health luck in the playoffs next season. When he is in the lineup, this Celtics team is nearly impossible to guard and their defense becomes even more smothering. The first Latvian to win the NBA Championship is both figuratively and literally a big piece to this team’s ability to win this year and their chances of repeating next year.
The close out game of the 2024 NBA Finals belonged to Jayson Tatum. He was great in this game. His was all over the run between the first and second quarters that gave the Celtics the 20-point lead they would never relinquish. He played well on both ends of the court all game. When it was time to become a champion and finish off a great season, Tatum stepped up and delivered. With that said, I was surprised at how surprised people were that Jaylen Brown won the Finals MVP award. In the first three games of the series, he was the best player on the court. Tatum stepped up in game 5 but this isn’t the Super Bowl, it’s not one game. Brown earned that Bill Russell award by putting the Celtics in position to take home Banner 18.
Speaking of Tatum, all throughout the playoffs and even the Finals people said Tatum wasn’t playing well and that he was a passenger and he needed all this help, etc., etc., etc. And I said then that by the end of the Finals Tatum will lead the Celtics in Points, Rebounds, and Assists and everyone will tell me how bad he played. Well, sure enough, Jayson Tatum became the 6th player in NBA history to lead his team in said points, rebounds, and assists on the way to a championship. The other 5? Jokic, Olajuwon, Duncan, Lebron, and Larry Joe Bird. There are worse lists to be on. As I have said, the debate between the Jays is moot and a waste of time. They have proven it works with the two of them once and for all.
I can’t not mention Al Horford. How people can be upset that Big Al finally won a championship is beyond me. In his two runs in Boston he has been nothing but the consummate professional and a real anchor for this team. When Brad Stevens reacquired him for Kemba Walker people talked about it as just a way to dump Kemba. That was never true. Horford was always a good player with the Celtics and Stevens wanted him and his mature leadership back. Al played a huge role on this team and was a big part of them win the title. Don’t ever take anything aways from Big Al, he earned this ring and hopefully he can start a collection next year.
I also have to mention Jrue Holiday and Derrick White. They could not have played any better this season or in the playoffs. Their acquisitions will always go down as huge moves in the story of Banner 18. They were the perfect guys to play along side the Jays and make everything work on both sides of the ball. Hopefully they can work out an extension with White and he can stay a part of this core for a long time.
And of course, huge shout out to Joe Mazzulla. He is the perfect coach for this team. He got everyone on the same page and fighting for each other and for a common goal. Trust me, It’s not as easy as it sounds. The players all love him and think the world of him as a coach. I always say that 80% of coaching in sports is matching the right team with the right coach. This is a match that definitely works. It’s great that he was able to prove himself to all the doubters and time out aficionados.
I also want to give a huge shout out and thank you to Brad Stevens. His move up into the GM spot was the key to the Celtics getting over the hump and finally reaching Banner 18. Just accepting the new role and not leaving to become a coach somewhere else was big. Having the balls to make the trades for Porzingis and Holiday was the difference. Having the balls (really the best term for it) to go with a head coach who was as unproven as you could really be and to stick with him when a lot of people insisted he wasn’t good enough was huge. Assembling a great team isn’t as easy as it sounds. It’s never about just gathering the most talent you can find. The pieces have to fit together. They have to compliment each other. Stevens did an amazing job of finding guys with the right skills and mindsets to fit together perfectly. The players on the Celtics all knew their roles, totally accepted their roles, and excelled at them. This is what makes great teams. The ’86 Celtics fit together perfectly. The ’08 Celtics team was the same way. This team was put together in the best possible way and, while he won’t take any credit, Brad Stevens deserves so much of it.
Danny Ainge deserves a ton of credit for this team as well. Making the trade with Brooklyn that got the Celtics the picks to take Brown and Tatum, then actually picking Brown and Tatum was the start of it all. Brown was not a popular pick for a lot of fans and media members (I liked it, just FYI), and trading the number one pick in the draft so someone else could take the consensus top player and still getting the guy you wanted in Tatum is just genius. Ainge built the foundation of this great team, hell, he was the one who brought Stevens in and even Mazzulla for that matter. He deserves to be acknowledged for it. And thanked for it. To the point that the Celtics should host Utah in the first game next season so Danny can be there to watch them raise the Banner. That or they should play the Lakers so they can hoist Banner 18 in their faces. Either way.
Ainge and Stevens were able to navigate a lot of bumps along the way but in the end, they managed to put together a great team. And make no mistake about it, this is a GREAT team. The way this team played and dominated all season, straight through the Finals is pretty unprecedented in the history of the NBA. Shall we look at some numbers?
My favorite stat of this season is still the fact that the Celtics had more 30 point leads this season than 10-point deficits. That’s insane. They went unbeaten when holding their opponents to under 100 points. 41-0 including the playoffs and finals. They never lost more than 2 games in a row. They went 16-3 in the playoffs. They had 10 games where they never fell behind and only 1 game where they never lead. They set NBA records with 17 25 point wins, 10 30 point wins, and 3 50 point wins. They only lost 1 game by more than 20 points. They have 2 more 50 point wins than 20 point losses. Think about that. Statistically they had the best offense in NBA history. They had the best scoring margin in NBA history. They won the East by 14 games. They would have won the West by 7 games. This team had one of the greatest seasons of all time. They were the best team in the league all year and they dominated in the playoffs. (P.S. Thank you to Sean Grande from where I got most of those stats)
Let’s get to the big talking point of the Celtics run to Banner 18. Was the path easy? Sure it was. But how easy was it? Was it as easy as people make it out to be or did this completely dominate team just make it look that easy? Indiana had one of the best offenses of all time, the Celtics swept them. Was Haliburton injured? Yup. How many games did Porzingis play in that series? Did the Celtics have to run a gauntlet to get to the Finals? Nope. But they manhandled the teams they did play. And Dallas beat two of the top 3 teams in the West. If beating the Mavericks in the Finals is so easy, then should the Timberwolves and OKC be relegated to the G League for having the embarrassment of actually losing to Dallas? Say what you want about the East and all of its injuries, Dallas earned their way to the Finals and were as healthy as a team can be at that point. And they were never in the series. When it comes down to it, I don’t care how easy the path was. Do teams not still raise banners when they win a championship when it’s the Celtics who have the injuries? Last year Denver played the Heat because Tatum got hurt. Anyone ever talk about that? Do you know how many rings the Lakers have because a Celtic was injured? ’87, ’09, ’10, just off the top of my head. Do they not have those banners hanging? Does anyone ever mention the injuries? Nope, and they should not. They always say the best ability is availability. Most championships, in every sport, are won in part to some team being devastated by injuries. It never lessens the accomplishment of the team that made it all the way to the end.
Now, is this one of the greatest teams of all time? I don’t know. To me this team feels like the ’98 Yankees. They had one of, if not the greatest seasons of all time. They were put together perfectly. But aside from Jeter and Mo, they didn’t have the high-end talent of past teams. There was no one like Ruth or Gehrig, or Mantle or DiMaggio. People don’t consider Bernie and Paulie, and Jorgie, on that level. And I am not saying they should. I am not sure I would put Tatum and Brown up there yet with the Birds, and Magics, and Jordans of the world. Maybe by then end, but right now? Probably not. The ’86 Celtics are still the greatest team of all time. They are not them. Are they better than the ’08 team? This is what I mean about the high-end talent. KG and Pierce and Allen were established Hall of Famers in ’08. The Jays aren’t there yet. Yet. This is one of those sports arguments we will be able to have for the rest of time. The Jays story in Boston is far from over (it’s really just beginning) so hopefully they will be able to add a lot more fuel to their side of the argument. But again, make no mistake, this was on of the best seasons any team has ever had in the NBA.
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