The Boston Celtics accomplished one quest Monday night by returning to the NBA Finals.
Now, they’ll go after an even bigger goal, one that has eluded this squad for more than a decade: winning the franchise’s 18th championship.
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Yes, despite winning six conference championships in eight seasons, Boston is only making its second trip to the Finals in that time. The Celtics’ current 16-year drought is the second-longest in franchise history, dating back to 1957, when they won their first NBA title.
It would be the pinnacle of an already outstanding season.
After his team suffered a 4-0 sweep in its first conference finals trip since 2014, Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said, “Boston has an excellent team. “They dominated the league from start to finish.” “They didn’t want this to continue any longer. They blocked shots, grabbed offensive rebounds, and made big shots.”
Boston has succeeded in almost every aspect possible throughout this year’s playoffs.
The Celtics have won seven straight games overall, advanced to 6-0 on the road with another comeback triumph, 105-102 over Indiana in Game 4, and are 3-0 in elimination matches. They defeated Indiana three times down the stretch, recovering in the final two games with decisive 13-2 and 7-0 closing surges to end the Pacers’ perfect 2024 playoff run at home—and their season.
The Dallas Mavericks or Minnesota Timberwolves are up next. Dallas leads the Western Conference finals 3-0 and has the opportunity to capture the series at home on Tuesday night.
Boston has sought assistance from every possible source.
While Jayson Tatum garnered the usual attention for his two 36-point performances and near triple-double in Game 4, 37-year-old Al Horford surprised everyone by making seven 3-pointers in Game 3, Jrue Holiday overcame an illness to deftly pick Andrew Nembhard’s pocket, and Derrick White hit the game-winning 3-pointer in Game 4.
Brown expressed his disappointment about not making the all-NBA teams, saying, “I didn’t expect that at all.” “But as time passed and I reached this stage, I simply stopped caring, and I don’t care who sees what, as long as my team, my city, and my family realize my importance.” That is all I actually care about.
There is little doubt that the Celtics understand where they would be—and would not be—without Brown.
He scored 29 points and grabbed six rebounds to help Boston overcome an eight-point deficit in the final six minutes on Monday night. After the defense forced two late turnovers, Brown helped seal the deal with a great block of Nembhard right before White’s key jumper.
The reaction was telling for Holiday, who won the NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2020–21.
“I think that’s much better because he didn’t expect it,” Holiday explained. “That really means that didn’t matter to him.” “It was all about winning, no matter how long it would take. That was crucial to him, and I believe that when you have that mentality, you will see outstanding people rewarded for their efforts.”
Holiday understands.
When the Bucks moved him to Portland in September to obtain Damian Lillard, he had no idea what would come next. Four days later, the Celtics struck another trade with the Trail Blazers to get the two-time All-Star and defensive wizard, hoping he could aid them in their title pursuit.
So far, the Celtics’ investment in Holiday has yielded significant returns. And now everyone is waiting to see if the addition of Holiday, as well as the potential return of starting center Kristaps Porzingis from a strained right calf that has kept him out since April 29, will help Boston win another championship.
“Obviously, we fell short of our ultimate goal last year, losing in the conference finals,” Tatum stated. “So I think we’ve just applied everything we learned to this season and this postseason, and it’s been working really well.”
