BOSTON — Following 4 months of much-deserved leisure, offseason transactions and preseason preparation, the Celtics lastly returned house to offer their followers what they’ve waited 16 years for: a record-setting 18th championship.
Moments earlier than internet hosting the new-look New York Knicks, the Celtics have been introduced with their championship rings, which characteristic 16 emerald minimize diamonds to characterize the workforce’s 16 playoff victories, 80 white diamonds for the workforce’s 80 mixed wins in the course of the common season and postseason and an NFC chip — permitting the recipient to place their cellphone towards the wooden parquet on the within of the ring to disclose a video of every particular person’s ring and the way it was produced.
“On behalf of me, my teammates and the group, we couldn’t have carried out it with out you lastly,” Tatum instructed the followers in attendance. “Let’s take pleasure in this second collectively. I can truthfully say, the most effective followers on the planet. Let’s do it once more.”
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Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla embraced the second by kissing Boston’s parquet ground upon being introduced together with his championship ring. He grew to become the youngest head coach to win the NBA Finals since icon Invoice Russell did so in 1969 as a player-coach.
“Followers, the statistics don’t lie. You’re looking at one of many most interesting groups ever assembled within the historical past of the NBA,” workforce governor and CEO Wyc Grousbeck instructed the followers. “They’ve a number of All-Stars and All-NBA gamers, unbelievable teamwork and so they have probably the most environment friendly No. 1 offense within the 78-year historical past of the NBA. We went 37-4 at house, 16-3 within the playoffs and we gained Banner 18.”
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Grousbeck continued: “This workforce had a fantastic teaching employees led by Joe, Brad (Stevens) and the nice entrance workplace and so they had you, the most effective followers in Boston. The followers in sports activities! We gained this banner collectively, that is your banner too.”
Boston additionally had a handful of Celtics legends within the constructing for the once-in-a-lifetime second, from Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to 96-year-old Bob Cousy. It was a long-awaited journey to reclaim the spot as probably the most profitable NBA franchise however ended with an unforgettable cherry-on-top ceremony to start a clear slate.
