The Boston Celtics stand at the crossroads of legacy and greatness, ready to lock in their place in NBA history as one of the greatest franchises to ever step onto the hardwood. With a championship they clinched emphatically in 2024, the franchise is now on an even more impossible quest to immortality. And it has never been quite so critical for fans, players, and coaches.
The Celtics are always great. But that doesn't diminish the fact that the '80s Celtics, the Russell dynasty, and now this new iteration of the team write their names into the history books. Last season, they stood with the 4th best net rating ever, indicating depth, skill, and grit in an endless level of talent coming out from them as part of the team. Future? More rings. "Standing on the edge of greatness is not just an honor, but a heavy burden." Micheal Spooner
The head coach, Joe Mazzulla, knows the pressure attached to those expectations. He underlines the detachment from past successes: "The world tries to keep you connected to your latest success or failure. It would be the same as being connected to a past failure. So how can we detach from that and go after greatness again?
Jayson Tatum has said this season is for legacy. "All the guys I looked up to at least won one championship growing up. So now it's just a conversation about how great are you trying to be. What room or what tier are you trying to be mentioned in when it's all said and done?
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In the NBA, greatness is measured in championships. Individuals are celebrated for their accolades, but teams live on because of how many rings they have accumulated. "It is the first and last item for discussion when arguing the best teams of all time. All that matters is how many times they were crowned champions," Spooner writes. So, as the Celtics shoot for the 19th banner, history looms over them at all turns.
But it's not just a quest for a new title; it's having all the experience and emotions that come with it. In the case of fans like Spooner, that's one in a million, but it makes it all the more precious and worth it, as he witnessed the team he has loved win its last title in 2008. "You don't know how many more times you'll get to experience a parade.". how many more times you'll scream so loud your cat hides for two days, he reflects. Such moments of euphoria shared by the family and others make these sports' high feelings transcend the game.
And when it comes to immortalizing a championship, nothing represents it better than the championship ring. The newly unveiled 2024 Celtics ring perfectly embodies the team's journey. The "simple, clean, big as fuck ring" was in the making and won fans' and players' hearts beforehand. This ring reminds me of the famous parquet floor and is decorated with 18 green emeralds. And the ring honors victory and celebrates the history of the team.
As Greenie from Barstool Sports says, "The ring is spectacular. It's perfect. I'm not sure there's a single thing I would change about it." Putting such pressure on getting the Celtics something special to commemorate their latest championship was immense, but the result exceeded anything we could have expected.
So, the Celtics open a new title defense and pursue banner 19, continuing the journey to greatness. For the team, "the opportunity for greatness, for immortality, is right in front of them, and the time to capture it is now." For the fans, it is a time to bask in the glory, pride, and shared experience that only a championship team can bring.
On the cusp of something special, Celtics stand tall, and if this season brings them another ring, it'll be just one more step toward cementing their place in the pantheon of NBA legends.