BOSTON – Winning a championship takes luck. Talent, long hours, and blood, sweat, and tears pour into the feat, but luck is always involved. The Boston Celtics got that luck last year, just as past champions did, and this September, they walked into Media Day with a new highlight on their resumes: Champions.
But there’s more to them than that. The Celtics aren’t just your everyday NBA Champions. Where some title defenders lose players in free agency or on the trade market, the Celtics look the same. Every single guy who played significant playoff minutes last season will be back in Celtics green this year.
The Celtics don't want to defend their NBA Championship—they want to win a new one
It’s a unique position to be in and one that the Celtics are grateful for.
“There's always a lot of turnaround in teams, and for us, we're very fortunate to have pretty much all our guys back, and everybody on the same page, and understanding, and ready to go,” Al Horford said at Celtics Media Day. “So, it is nice, for a change, to have that stability and not have to worry about anything. Just focus on continuing to build what we have here.”
Heading into last year, fresh off a gut-wrenching loss to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals, Boston brought in two All-Stars. They added Kristaps Porzingis in a deal over the summer, and right before training camp kicked off, Jrue Holiday was added to the squad.
Then, they dealt with the challenges of integrating two new faces into the rotation. Now, they get to build on the chemistry that they built last year.
“For me personally, it’s just chemistry,” Holiday said. “I am here, and I know what my role is and what I'm going to do, and I feel like we have a lot of the same team. So, we know that we're going to build chemistry. We're going to do it through training camp and through most of the season, and Joe will probably have to do some new crazy drills or whatever. So, super excited for that.”
But just because their team looks similar doesn’t mean they won’t face obstacles this season. They’ll just look different.
“I think there are both advantages and disadvantages to—There could be an advantage to having a new team, there could be advantage of having the same team,” said Joe Mazzulla. “It's more about just leveraging those opportunities that you have. And I think throughout the season, the environment will tell us what we need to adjust to and where we need to maintain the same. But I think there are pros and cons to both.”
Having their championship roster back (nearly) in full force is obviously an advantage, but it doesn’t change the way the Celtics are going to carry themselves.
Throughout the course of the season, various trials and tribulations will inevitably pop up, and Mazzulla is ready to tackle them head on. He’s glad the team is back, but it won’t stop them from adapting.
“If I had to choose one, I'd choose the one that we have,” Mazzulla said. “Where we have consistency, where we have the character and the talent that we have, and at the end of the day, who you are as a team, and the way you play is a reflection of the kind of the character and the talent of the guys.
“And that's kind of what we're doubling down on because of who they are and how much they compete and how good they are. But there will be time for us to adjust on the fly. We just got to be ready. And there are always internal driving forces that lead to change. And so, we just have to be ready for what those are and accept them.”
For years, the Celtics were in a constant state of flux.
Season after season, stars were moved. From Isaiah Thomas to Kyrie Irving to Kemba Walker to Al Horford. The coaching staff never remained steady, either. Brad Stevens had the reins for a long while, but in the span of a few years, the head coaching position jumped from him to Ime Udoka to Mazzulla.
Boston’s constant success on the hardwood was in spite of their ever-changing roster and coaching room.
Now, they have some stability. But after a decade of change, it’s an odd feeling to accept.
“Kind of weird, actually, having some stability,” said Jaylen Brown. “Because over the last course years, we've had head coaches change. Coaches leaving in the middle of the season. Trade. Players in and out. But nobody mentions that when you when you lose. So, it's good to hear it as an excuse now, when you win, that we have some stability. But it definitely feels a little bit different.
“I think it'll be good for us to continue to build off the chemistry that we already have and just to kind of take some leaps forward. Obviously, KP is big for us, so we're going have to carry the load a little bit more, but we'll figure it out."
It may be weird, but it’s a weirdness that the Celtics are eager to embrace.
When Holiday and Porzingis joined the team, pressure mounted. For Tatum and Brown’s entire careers, the Celtics were title favorites. And after season after season of failure, they were once again placed in the metaphorical driver’s seat.
Had they fallen short, who knows what would have happened? Would more roster changes have occurred? Could Mazzulla be looking for a new job? Would Jayson Tatum or Brown be donning new threads this season?
Luckily, none of those questions have to be answered. None were even asked. Because they didn’t fall short. They won. They are champions.
Sitting at Media Day felt a whole lot different, but not really. It was different in the sense that Tatum has a new accolade to boast, but everything else is exactly the same.
“It does feel different,” said Tatum. “Not from a place of being complacent. Not that I'm relaxed or comfortable. It's all about what you're trying to achieve, and we're trying to achieve greatness. I believed that we were going to win at some point. We were at a sustained level of greatness for six years and even before that. We were so close, we were taking the proper steps, and we finally knocked down the door.”
But Boston isn’t done yet.
“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, all the guys that I looked up to growing up, at least won one championship.
“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?’ 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.”
In an interview with John Karalis of Locked On Celtics earlier in September, Mazzulla emphasized the ideology of not defending the championship. Using the word ‘defense’ indicated that Boston isn’t chasing anything anymore.
He doesn’t want that.
The Celtics sat down at Media Day as champions. Embedded in Boston lore forever. But the only thing on their minds was chasing another championship. Not defending the title they already own but surging toward a second.
That’s why this year feels the same for the Celtics. Obviously, there is a different feeling to being a champion, but the moment Boston loses their hunger, it’s time to hang up their sneakers.
“To be honest with you: Zero. Feels zero difference,” Mazzulla said of heading into training camp as champions. “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.”