The Larry O’Brien trophy in the hands of Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck; a snowfall of confetti across the parquet floor at TD Garden; the words “Jaylen Brown finals MVP” no longer a joke meant to mock the Massachusetts basketball fans but a solid, indisputable fact; and Boston, with their 18th championship, confirming their status as the most successful team in NBA history.
But were these the worst NBA Finals in recent memory, at least for the neutrals? The Mavericks’ surrender on Monday night, which included gamely maintaining pace for the first ten minutes of the first quarter before Boston made the title all but certain by halftime, put a weak cap on what had been a thrilling Dallas effort in Game 4. A 4-1 scoreline certainly suggests as much. Ultimately, Luka Dončić’s velvet hands and magic buttocks (along with his dodgy knee and injured chest) were no match for a Boston team that was too strong, too smooth, and too smooth for Kyrie Irving, who never showed up on the court that once sang his name.
Process, systems, the slow rebuild, the steady ascent—in other words, the final triumph of the group over the individual, collaboration over self-aggrandizement, technocracy over skill—were all won by this. As the players took to the celebratory dais for the open mic following the game, almost all of the Celtics players emphasized the value of teamwork, and it seemed like more than just a catchphrase. In addition, Brown acknowledged that his “partner-in-crime,” Jayson Tatum, deserved the MVP award. Tatum gave an explanation of how Brown and Brown, who are similar in size, position, and on-court style, were able to work so well together in spite of years of criticism demanding that one of them be cut in order for Boston to win a championship for the first time.
The Celtics are, first and foremost, a bunch of lovely young men. Their entry into history was based on the civilized values of friendship, godliness, and self-control, signifying a victory of manners over vanity. Sacrifice, mental discipline, and the subordination of ego to the general good. The team’s fundamental politeness was evident even in the series’ final margin; a true sweep would have been cruel, but a gentleman’s sweep softly defeats ostensibly inferior opponents. This is a team that has earned the right to celebrate, and it will do so right now—in moderation, of course. (White, however, is prepared for a visit to the dentist.)
Boston’s 18th championship has also, infamously, been a long time coming. It is the result of a reconstruction that started in earnest in 2013 with the departure of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, the heroes of the 2008 championship, and the hiring of Brad Stevens to replace Doc Rivers as head coach. From then on, the Celtics have continued to improve, keep building, and hold onto the hope that they will win the coveted 18th ring despite setbacks (Kyrie interregnum of 2017–19), near-misses (the 2022 finals loss to Golden State, the seven-game loss to Miami in the Eastern Conference decider last year), and failed relationships (Marcus Smart, Gordon Hayward).
Over time, the crucial components have gradually come into alignment: the Celtics’ crown jewels, Brown and Tatum, arrived as first-round draft selections in 2016 and 2017, respectively; the dynamic center Al Horford also arrived in Beantown in 2016; and last summer, the last two pieces of the playing puzzle, ageless guard Jrue Holiday and human linguine Kristaps Porzingis, were added. Boston has been fortunate in its progress. The years they selected Brown and Tatum featured top draft picks Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz, two of the NBA’s most infamous recent busts. Additionally, Stevens’s elevation to general manager and a number of other coaching changes led to the opportunity for Joe Mazzulla to become head coach.
Mazzulla, only thirty-five, was the team’s fourth assistant coach when they advanced to the 2022 NBA Finals. He was only named interim head coach at the beginning of the 2022–2023 season, but he has shown himself to be the cool-headed, unselfish disciplinarian this combination of mid-20s tearaways and gallivanting veterans seeking their last chance at glory has needed to reach the pinnacle of the NBA. Even though Mazzulla can come across as a strange guy at times and spent a large portion of the championship game sitting on the sidelines like a disinterested dance instructor with his hands on his hips, his lips pursed, and his glare unblinking, he has eventually found his voice and it is evident that the players have connected with his blend of tough love and deference.
And who would bet against them adding to the tally? Tatum and Brown announced their rich potential as a partnership at both ends of the court in the 2018 Eastern Conference finals, when they had to carry the team in the absence of Irving and Hayward and took LeBron’s Cavaliers to seven games. It’s taken six years for that potential to pay out, but now Tatum (26 years of age) and Brown (27) are champions the right side of 30, and they have their first rings around the same time that LeBron (27) and Michael Jordan (28) claimed theirs.
