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BOSTON — As highlights played on the Jumbotron above them, Celtics teammates Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Al Horford — staples of this chapter in the team’s storied history — gathered at mid-court, reliving their tenures in TD Garden, which all culminated in Tuesday’s NBA championship ring ceremony.
“I’ve been teammates with JB for seven years,” said Tatum. “I was 19 when I got drafted, and Al was in his 10th year; now he’s in his 18th year. The journey we’ve all been on together brought us to this point, and it was cool to share that moment with those two guys, soak it in, enjoy it and embrace it. That was dope.”
“It was just settling in,” added Brown. “Me, JT and Al were together, and I could feel it. When we won, I was in shock, but today all our emotions settled in. It was like, ‘We did it.’ We did something spectacular. Regardless of what everybody has to say, my name — alongside of my teammates — is going to be etched down in Celtics history, which is one of the biggest franchises not just in basketball but in sports.”
In front of them were Celtics legends Bob Cousy, Cedric Maxwell, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen — more chapters in Celtics lore. Behind them was a league-record 18th championship banner, ready to be raised to the rafters. And once it was, Tatum grabbed a microphone to address the Garden crowd.
It wasn’t much of a game after Jayson Tatum and the Celtics got their rings Tuesday night. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)
“To the best fans in the world,” he said, “let’s do it again.”
With that the New York Knicks were supposed to play a basketball game against the newly bejeweled champions. If the intention was to spoil Boston’s evening, the Knicks failed miserably. The Celtics took a 20-point, first-quarter lead and tied an NBA record, making 29 3-pointers en route to a 132-109 victory.
It was beautiful basketball on Boston’s behalf. They became the fourth team in NBA history to log at least 30 assists, 20 made 3s and five or fewer turnovers, all while registering 51/48/88 shooting splits.
As for the Knicks, who own the Eastern Conference’s second-best title odds,…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/celtics-ring-in-the-new-season-looking-like-champions-yet-again-051703513.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-10-23 05:17:00
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