It has been just two months since the Boston Celtics won their first championship since 2008. Led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Boston defeated the Dallas Mavericks in five games in the NBA Finals to do so. Game 5 proved to be the breakthrough moment for the Celtics. Since the team drafted Tatum in 2017, they made the playoffs all six years. This includes four Eastern Conference Finals appearances and one NBA Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors in 2022. Many believed Boston would never win it all with Tatum and Brown as their stars. However, after acquiring Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday last year, in addition to trading for Derrick White a year before, the Celtics finally got it done in Tatum’s seventh year with the team.
Recently, the Duke alum spoke about what winning the championship meant to him. In an interview with St. Louis Today, Tatum said winning a championship “felt like the weight of the world was off my shoulders.”
“It has been a crazy summer,” Jayson Tatum said, “Was fortunate enough to win my second gold medal with the national team. … And to finally win NBA championship, that’s something that I’ve been working (toward) for a very, very long time. I’ve gotten extremely close a few times, and finally got over the hump. So that was special. That felt like the weight of the world was off my shoulders after that one.”
In the Finals, Tatum averaged 22.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1 steal. Though he was not shooting the ball efficiently (38.8 FG% and 26.3 3FG%), he played a major role in the team’s Finals victory.
Celtics Star Revels in ‘Special’ Feeling After NBA Championship
A Repeat Could Be Next for Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics
As is the case with any championship team, talks of a repeat have surfaced for Boston this summer. The last time there was a repeat NBA champion was the Warriors in 2018. However, the Celtics truly have a case to be the next team to achieve this. This summer, the team brought back everyone who played a sizeable role last year. Furthermore, they brought back nearly everyone who also just happened to be on the team. Only Svi Mykhailiuk (who signed with the Utah Jazz) and Oshae Brissett (still unsigned) are the players from last year’s roster not with the team currently.
Although the Eastern Conference improved this summer, the Celtics are still the team to beat. Additionally, it is easy to forget just how young the Celtics still are. Outside of Al Horford, Holiday, and White, everybody on the Celtics is younger than 30 years old. The Celtics are built to contend for a championship next year and many years after.
The Last Word on Jayson Tatum
While he still has his flaws, Tatum has improved drastically since entering the league. He is one of the best two-way players in the game and is only getting better. Winning a championship in 2024 was a huge accomplishment for the 26-year-old. However, it is entirely possible that this will not be the last time Tatum brings a championship back to Boston.
