The Celtics aren’t chasing championships, they’re chasing greatness

BOSTON — The Boston Celtics’ slogan last season was ‘Different Here.’ For most franchises, that would simply be an empty statement, attempting to distinguish themselves as hard workers or winners. But the Celtics can back it up. They can back it up with their history, and last season, they added to that lore.

Now, just a few months after being crowned the 2024 NBA Champions, Boston is right back into training camp. The roster looks nearly identical to last year’s, a uniquely advantageous position for a defending champion, but they don’t want to be that: Defending. That word isn’t in their vocabulary.

During a recent chat with John Karalis of Locked On Celtics and Boston Sports Journal, Joe Mazzulla took issue with the concept of “defending” a championship. He wants the Celtics to chase another title, not simply defend the one they just secured.

This Celtics group doesn't want championships—they want a legacy

And the moment he stops feeling that hunger, it’s all over.

“To be honest with you: Zero. Feels zero difference,” Mazzulla said at Media Day when asked if he feels any different this year going into training camp. “And I think if you're ever lucky to do it again, when it does feel different, that's what I'd rather not do it anymore.”

See, the phrase ‘Different Here’ has a meaning in Boston that wouldn’t translate to any other organization. Now, with the most banners in NBA history hanging above them, it’s about more than that.

This group, led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, is after something more than that. They don’t want to be a flash in the pan. They don’t just want rings and Larry O’Briens. They want a legacy.

“It was never just about just trying to win one,” Tatum said. “Now, we get to at least be in the same room with the other Celtics. Great teams, the great players, [and] all the guys that I looked up to growing up, at least won one championship.”

One championship gives you the key to enter the same breath as greatness. But Tatum, Brown, and company want to sign a lease and move in.

“Now it's just a conversation of, 'How great are you trying to be? What room or what tier are you trying to be mentioned in when it's all said and done?’” Tatum said. “And understanding the window that you have to maximize that time. And so yeah, it does feel different being up here as a champion and knowing what it takes and wanting to be on the top of the mountain as many times as you can.”

Winning a title in Boston cements you as a legend. And there is no other way to reach that level. The bar is high, but it’s high for a reason. But just because this group has already accomplished that goal doesn’t mean they’re going to rest on their laurels. Quite the opposite, actually.

Slowing down isn’t an option.

Exactly 100 days have passed since the Celtics won Banner 18, and they already want to put it behind them.

“Obviously this is a different stage, but my high school coach, we won four straight [state championships] in high school, and he used to kind of say a similar thing. Every year is a whole different year,” said Payton Pritchard. “A whole different team. 

“So, you do have to detach from it, and it's a new journey. You always remember it, and you always have that. If you look up in 2024, that was us. But if we want to do it again, you got to detatch and you got to repeat that. So, same mindset. It's the same journey that we went through last year.”

It’s one thing to preach these ideas, but it’s another to live it. And that’s what Boston is doing.

Lonnie Walker IV signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Celtics at the end of August. He’ll be competing for a roster spot during training camp. After spending time with the San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers, and Brooklyn Nets, Walker is looking to make the Celtics his new home.

After his first practice, he could tell Boston is unlike any place he’s been before.

“They're chasing greatness over here,” Walker said. “They know that they have the capability of winning another championship. They won it last year, and they won it in a way that kind of stamped what the Boston Celtics were. Playing against every team is like, 'Yo, they're loaded.' This is a really tough team to play against. 

“So, I think the overall message is like, 'We know that we're capable of getting another championship, but we're not worried about the championship. We're worried about chasing greatness. Building that franchise of being one of the better upbringings as far as the Celtics way is.’ Everyone's just competing. Everyone's pushing each other. There's no lackadaisicalness, or people sitting out, or whatever it may be. The energy is very consistent, and it was just very, very fun, to say the least.”