The Boston Celtics won a record breaking 18th NBA title in June led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The two superstars were joined by a phenomenal supporting cast including Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, and veteran Al Horford. And Kristaps Porzingis, another great member of the supporting cast, helped get the team through the playoffs before going down in Game 2 of the NBA finals.
In addition, the Celtics bench played a pivotal role with their shooting all year given that Horford, Peyton Prichard, and Sam Hauser all can shoot the deep ball. From start to finish the Celtics were the best team all year, finishing with a 64-18 regular season record including an outstanding 37-4 record at home.
When Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis joined the team, there was an overwhelming feeling from the Celtics fan base that this was the year. This was the chance to bring the title back to Boston and cement Tatum and Brown in Celtics lore.
Celtics Overcome the Critics
However, before getting to the mountain top, there was a lot of criticism thrown the Celtics’ way. So much so that “expert” NBA analysts suggested breaking the duo of Brown and Tatum up.
But despite the criticism from the likes of Kendrick Perkins, Stephen A. Smith, and many others, the Celtics’ front office made the decision to keep the duo together. That decision would prove to be the right one.
If they had traded anyone it would have been Jaylen Brown, the man who just won the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Final MVP and Bill Russell Finals MVP trophies. After years of saying Brown was the Robin to Tatum’s Batman, Brown proved that he can be a number one option and also a lockdown defender.
Brad Stevens, the Celtics’ general manager, knew in order to win a championship he needed both of the young stars on the team. With Brown signed to a 5-year $285 million contract, and Tatum just signing a 5-year $313 million contract, the sky is the limit for the Celtics’ superstar tandem.
As long as the front office continues to build a good supporting cast around these two, there is no limit to how much they can succeed.
