The joy of a sports championship, capped off by a duck boat parade winding through the streets of Boston. Is there anything better?
The Boston Celtics are NBA champions for the 18th time, the most of any NBA team — and they won the trophy on Monday thanks to the leadership of two career Celtics, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Of course, the players on the court won the championship, but the whole organization deserves praise for its performance this year. The team’s decision to offer $18 watch-party tickets, which let fans who might not have been able to afford tickets enjoy the playoff atmosphere at TD Garden, exemplified the classy way the Celtics management has run the team.
Built organically by meticulous player development and a few impressive trades, first by Danny Ainge and later Brad Stevens, this Celtics roster was also simply fun to root for. Offensive superstars may command national attention, but Tatum and Brown represented the best of team sports — gritty, two-way players who cared more about winning than individual stats. Over the years, Tatum and Brown have proven to be not just elite basketball players but also stand-up members of the community and wonderful role models for the next generation of fans.
There are moments from this finals run that will stick in our collective minds for years, long after the high of the championship has worn off. Payton Pritchard’s roof-shattering halftime buzzer-beater in Game 5. Kristaps Porzingis returning from a calf injury to look like the best player in the world for 20 minutes of Game 1. Derrick White’s chipped tooth, and the resilience to keep playing. Jrue Holiday’s unselfish play. Al Horford’s veteran presence and affinity for the city. Young coach Joe Mazzulla’s endearing intensity.
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Whether you’re an X’s and O’s green teamer who revels in the incredible ball movement and spacing of the Celtics offense or a casual fan who enjoys the storylines and star power of the NBA, this was team basketball at its finest. And honestly, what’s not to love?
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It’s rare that two stars of Tatum and Brown’s caliber can coexist on a roster for this many years, and despite repeated attempts to sow discord among the dynamic duo, the two seem to have deep respect for each other. “I share this with my brothers,” Brown said after winning NBA Finals MVP. “My partner-in-crime, Jayson Tatum, he was with me the whole way.”
Through this entire finals run, Tatum, Brown, and the Celtics have continued to preach that team-first mentality, both on and off the court. The message was heard loud and clear as the Celtics’ brand of basketball bested Luka Doncic and the Mavericks’ superstar-centric approach in a breezy five games.
In an age of hyperpartisan politics and a fractured media environment, sports continues to be one of the few constants that pulls people from all walks of life together. And this Celtics group, with its team mentality, is the perfect embodiment of that concept.
Today, thousands of Celtics fans will descend on Causeway Street to celebrate the region’s 13th major sports championship in the 21st century. That unprecedented level of success has granted Boston nicknames like “Title Town” and the “City of Champions,” but more important than any moniker or airport greeting, those 13 championships have given us all something to cheer for, together. From out-of-town college students who discovered new allegiances to lifetime residents who remember the glory days of Bill Russell and Larry Bird, this championship is something we can all look back on fondly.
There is a saying credited to Larry Moulter, then president of the New Boston Garden Corp., tasked with building what we know today as TD Garden, that sums up what people in Boston really care about. “This is a town where there are three pastimes: politics, sports and revenge,” Moulter famously told The New York Times in 1993.
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Sports? Check. Revenge? Well, Boston fans gleefully, and sometimes gratuitously, got to boo former Celtic Kyrie Irving, the city’s biggest sports villain since Alex Rodriguez. And Tatum and Brown got to quiet the endless chatter about their inability to win it all. Politics? Thankfully not.
Two out of three ain’t bad, Boston.
Enjoy this moment while it lasts; maybe even try to let it linger into the summer months. Go to the parade. Take it all in. Because before you know it, sports talk radio will be complaining about Jerod Mayo and Drake Maye, kids will be heading back to school, the Celtics will be defending champions, and the election will be upon us.
Editorials represent the views of the Boston Globe Editorial Board. Follow us @GlobeOpinion.
