The Celtics raising Banner 18 symbolizes so much more than a championship

Four months ago, confetti lined the streets of Boston. A win in Game 5 over the Dallas Mavericks marked a new notch in the Boston Celtics archives. Banner 18 had been secured, but it wasn’t waving just yet.

Fast forward to October 22, and the Celtics obliterated the New York Knicks on Opening Night. But that was merely the subplot of the evening. It was overshadowed by the 2023-24 Celtics’ accomplishments finally taking their rightful place in the heavens of TD Garden.

“I come in here every afternoon and take a look at those [banners], and they represent so much,” Joe Mazzulla said. “And so, the banner was the highlight for me because it represents a lot of things that go into it, and the rafters have a life of their own in this building. That moment was the coolest.”

The 18 banners hanging in the rafters are more than just threads sewn together by New England Flag and Banner, a local company founded over a century ago. Each one symbolizes an incredible group of humans who added their chapter to an ongoing novel in one of the greatest sports cities on the planet.

Those chapters came to life on Tuesday.

Banners and rings are amazing, but Celtics history is forever

As the 2024 Celtics prepared to raise their installment into the sky, legends lined the hardwood. Cedric Maxwell, the 1981 NBA Finals MVP, looked on. Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen, who earned their spot in Celtics lore with a 2008 ring, gathered together.

But perhaps most saccharine was Bob Cousy’s entrance.

The 96-year-old living legend resides in Worcester, Massachusetts, but rarely makes an appearance at the Garden. Seeing the Celtics lift another banner was an exception.

Cousy rolled onto the court in his wheelchair, tossed the crowd a pair of peace signs, and took his rightful place amongst his fellow Celtic champions.

“He's one of the first Celtic— NBA legends, at that,” Jayson Tatum said of Cousy. “I got to shake his hand. He said some kind words to me. I mean, he's a legend. He came out in the wheelchair, threw his deuces up, and everybody went crazy. So that kind of really set it off. I got to meet and take a picture with Bob Cousy, and that's something that will live forever, I hope.”

The current-day Celtics are tough to crack. Tatum is relatively reserved. Jaylen Brown is an extremely serious individual. Mazzulla is scarily straightforward. But a night like Tuesday was enough to activate the tear ducts.

A 10-minute video essay detailing Boston’s journey to Banner 18—from drafting Brown and Tatum to signing Al Horford to last summer’s trades—played as the Celtics warmed up.

As the rings were prepared and the legends were welcomed to the court, Pierce carried the 2024 Larry O’Brien with him, handing it off to the current-day Celtics.

That was the moment that got Brown.

“It's almost like they were passing the torch,” Brown said. “I was fighting them back at the start of the game. It was amazing.”

Brown stood next to Tatum and Horford, the two men he’d been battling with the longest, and he took it all in.

“Right before they called out the Celtic legends, before they introduced them, at that time, it was just settling in,” Brown said. “Me, JT, and Al were just standing together, and I could feel it.”

For Tatum, it was the fans.

Once everyone got their rings, Tatum was handed the microphone. He started to speak, but no words left his lips. Brown, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White danced up and down, smiling ear to ear as they watched their teammate’s heart take over the rest of his body.

All the work, all the emotions, all the blood, sweat, and tears that went into Banner 18 came to the surface.

“I planned something to say, but I got caught up in the moment,” Tatum said post-game. “I was overwhelmed. I was in awe, and emotions got the best of me.”

Every time Tatum paused, the Celtics faithful erupted. No chants. No message. Just deafening applause.

Tatum’s pre-planned speech went out the window, and all he could muster up was one statement: “I know we're not supposed to talk about repeating, but the fans were just so excited, I was like, f*** it, 'Let's do it again.'”

And while Mazzulla watching Banner 18 get raised marked his emotional tipping point, the moment he shared with the parquet was just as special.

When it came time for the head coach to receive his ring, he bent down, got on his knees, and kissed the parquet—an iconic feature of Boston’s court.

“I just thought that was a moment, a way for me to just express myself,” Mazzulla said. “The parquet, that's where there is blood, sweat, and tears of the greats. And so, I don't get to go out there and dive on the floor for loose balls like I'd love to or do any of that, so that was a way to just express the passion and the gratitude that I have for our team, for the people that have come before, and for just what it means to be a Celtic. 

“So, there's no place better than this city and the team and just being in the arena with the people.”

Coach’s undying love for the Celtics cannot be overstated, even if his description of the court’s taste was perfectly Mazzulla-esque.

“Blood,” Mazzulla said when asked what the parquet tasted like. “I mean, I wish it did.”

Surrounded by legends, the 2024 Celtics became them. Pierce and Tatum. Brown and Garnett. Horford and Cousy. Though their impacts on the organization may not compare at every level, they all share the same title: Celtics Champion.

That’s what Tuesday night was about.

“To finally get over that hump and finally be a part of Opening Night—the ring ceremony is something I've watched every year since I was a kid,” Tatum said. “It was just a wild moment. Like, I'm a part of it. I'm a part of history. And it was worth the wait.”

Boston’s newest banner is a perfect symbol, and the rings’ diamonds will serve as eternal reminders, but the team’s place in Celtics lore is something that no object can quantify.

It’s eternal.

“Today, all the emotions kind of settled in,” Brown said. “I'm like, 'Nah, we did it.' We did something spectacular. Regardless of what everybody got to say, my name, alongside my teammates, is going to be etched now in Celtics history, which is one of the biggest franchises, not just in basketball, but in sports. 

“You can never take that from nobody that was on that team last year. So, that's special.”