Boston Celtics – NBA Champs
The Boston Celtics won their 18th championship Monday, with a resounding win over the Dallas Mavericks, beating them 106 to 88. The Celtics now have the most NBA titles in the NBA beating out the Los Angeles Lakers who have 17. The Celtics won every series by four games to one or better, granted the Eastern Conference was decimated by injuries. First it was Jimmy Butler with the Miami Heat, then Donovan Mitchell for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and finally in the Eastern Conference Finals, Tyrese Haliburton went down. Every team they played lost their best player. And, in the rest of the East, every team’s star player seemed to have an injury going into the playoffs or once they started.
Eastern conference playoff injuries:
— Crumbletakes (@Crumbletakes) May 24, 2024
Jimmy Butler
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Damian Lillard
Khris Middleton
Jalen Brunson
Julius Randle
Bojan Bogdanovic
OG Anunboy
Josh Hart
Mitchell Robinson
And now Tyrese Haliburton
Injuries truly suck
However, the Celtics have been searching for their 18th championship for a few years now. After losing a 2-1 lead to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals, the young duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been heavily criticized. They lost last year in the Eastern Conference Finals to an energized Miami Heat team, and many pundits felt the two stars had to be split up. Since then, the duo and the supporting class have been on a tear across the country. They won a total of 80 games this year which has only happened in five prior seasons. This was tied for the city of Boston’s longest drought without a championship since 2000 for all four of their major U.S. teams (Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, Red Sox) and it was only five years.
So, don’t be too happy for them.
In 2011, once the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup, they became the first and only city to win in all four major U.S. sports. So, you can say Boston is most definitely a sports town.
The Celtics now have two young superstars that want another trophy. Especially since, their “star player,” Jason Tatum, didn’t even win NBA Finals MVP. Jaylen Brown won it, and deservingly so. Brown was their best player throughout the Finals series.
JAYLEN BROWN IS THE 2024 FINALS MVP ☘️🏆@FCHWPO | #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/jwVIQ4G3Fv
— ESPN (@espn) June 18, 2024
Tatum only started to pick it up in Game 3. Even though they may have to trade or let go of some key players, the core of the team is the youngest and best in the NBA. Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday were key additions, but may be leaving because of expensive contracts, but filling their roles won’t be impossible and will be cheaper.
Now the Celtics are looking to repeat and get Jayson Tatum his own Finals MVP.
Tanner Coleman
Tanner is a sports fan and resident staff sports writer for KLZ Radio.
