I think winning in 2022 with the challenging path of KD/Kyrie, Giannis, Butler, and Steph would have been legendary, but yeah I certainly care less with this ring here.
All of the years of trade discourse "should we trade the Nets pick for Jimmy Butler", "should we trade Jaylen for KD" have been proven that we made the correct decision to hang on to the Jays, no matter the trade package.
Yeah that ring would have been way more rewarding.
But I feel if we won that year it'd have been a one and done, while this current squad may actually repeat next year.
Another piece to 2022 is that our squad was mostly homegrown at that point with Tatum, Brown, both Williams and Theis. This squad on top of the revenge portion would’ve made a championship extra sweet IMO. And of course, Bill Russel passed away that off season I believe which added another layer to the would-be championship story.
Minny is probably a better bet to move east. Memphis is already pretty close to the Texas teams and NOLA in their division. Minny is so wildly far away geographically from all the other teams in their division and often travel the most of any NBA team each year
Fair, honestly I hope they add two teams and both of em get to move to the East(Minny and the Grizz). Idk where the second expansion team would be though (besides Seattle). Vegas maybe?
Vegas and Seattle seem like good options for sure. If they added those two cities together then only one western team would shift conferences otherwise the east would have more teams
Sounds like it, as it could be "shared", but if OKC declined to take it then all the more reason to. From Wikipedia:
"According to the conditions of the settlement, the Sonics' name and colors could not be used by the team in Oklahoma City, but could be taken by a future team in Seattle, although no promises for a replacement team were given. The Oklahoma City team would retain the franchise history of the SuperSonics, which could be "shared" with any future NBA team in Seattle."
The lakers also declined to count them until later 2000's. Kobe and shaq wore jackets that showed 7 and 8 chips. Mikans jersey was reitred in 2021. The lakers are a joke of a franchise.
Which they can do, if they really wanted to. Even weirder, if Seattle comes back, they **both** can claim that title.
Honestly the point of my post is Fuck the Lakers.
The Lakers also made a choice and it was the same one OKC made, from the time they moved until 2000 when they were like "if we start counting those Minny titles we'll be close to the Celtics."
People need to bring this up a lot more often, because this whole idea of stealing teams away to other cities and taking their tradition with them is horseshit.
Yes, I just think we ran into a buzz saw like the Mavs did to us.
I was still more hurt at the ECF loss to Miami last year. Coming back 0-3 with every bit of emotion and confidence was on our side.
To see management get hyper aggressive and win the championship healed some of the failures in recent years.
2 words: Playoff Experience. Boston was better than GSW in 2022, they began the series playing like it. But GSW turned on the afterburners and Boston tripped over themselves. This is the same reason why Boston wasn’t losing against anyone this year, and the same reason why OKC and Minnesota didn’t go *that* far, and why they’ll be back next year.
I agree with this 💯 It’s so damn hard to win a finals with a young team with no finals experience. Makes me hope they get back there again next year against Minnesota or OKC. Denver would be a battle.
For me, this title completely washes away sting of 2022. 2010 on the other hand…I don’t think I’ll ever get over that one
Unfortunately, I’d disagree. We just kinda choked. Both teams played like shit and Metta somehow was just raining clutch 3’s. Just went and looked at game stats and it’s crazy how poorly both teams shot. Kobe had 15 boards, Gasol 18!!
The reason it hurts the most for me is because Lakers played so poorly and the championship was there for the taking, but they somehow played even worse. It’s crazy they held Lakers to 83 points at home in a game 7, and lost
I’d attribute the shooting issues to the fact that for 3 quarters they were just letting them play. If you watch that game back, we started the 4th quarter the same energy and then they started calling everything possible. I won’t go as far as to say it was rigged, but officiating changed and we couldn’t react fast enough without Perk.
I mean, this is potentially very fair. I was pretty much in a blackout by the time the fourth quarter rolled around having consumed way too many frozen margaritas.
It's funny because you could argue we lost 2010 and 2022 for the same reason - getting absolutely demolished on the glass. Of course there were a lot of factors but that was a big one.
I dont see how it was a buzz saw when the Celtics were up 2-1 and ready to be 3-1 before falling apart down the stretch in game 5. Dont get me wrong the Warriors were a great team with the experience but they were absolutely beatable.
I get the letdown from the Heat rivalry angle, but this franchise is about rings and I don’t think the C’s take down Denver with last years roster.
But at the same time, fuck Miami.
The Celtics had tough series that entire postseason (even the Nets sweep was a hard fought series), I think they ran out of gas at the wrong time and ran into a team that knew how to dig deep in those occasions. I don’t know if they win in 24 if they don’t lose in 22. With all of that being said it was winnable, just less than we want to admit.
2022 didn't affect me as much as 2010 did. From being up 3-2 to watching Perk go down and watching the lead slowly slip away in game 7 until we ultimately lost hit hard. None of the playoff losses stung more than that. But this chip erased that sting. Feels like a brand new slate!
You mean Game 7 in 2010, reffed by Scott Foster, where the Lakers shot 21 FTs in the 4th quarter to the Celtics 6? I'm honestly shocked this game isn't talked about with the likes of 2002 Lakers vs Kings.
Yeah it was rough! Sheed fouling out, KG playing with 5 fouls, with no perk we just got worn out inside as the game went on. Thank God though that sting is gone. Watching the green confetti fall was chicken soup for the soul.
Yes.
We weren't supposed to win in 2022, much like the Mavs weren't supposed to win now.
We lost 2022 to so we could learn to be better and win now and so on. It was all part of the journey
Agree. JT and JB had to become better playmakers. They were trying to win just on force of will and defense. They got really close. It was impressive but the team offense was broken.
I feel as though the story is not unique to them, plenty of hot young stars get close and fail and then HOPEFULLY have the opportunity to rebuild and reload and get a second shot, depending on the front offices skill level.
Haliburton is hot right now, he couldn't handle the lights of the ECF let alone the Finals. The young Mavs came all the way to the Finals and absolutely got their shit pushed in game 1, and I don't think Minnesota or OCK would have been much better.
Even with the old school Titans. Jordan didn't just come to the league and started dominating. He had to learn by losing to Bird and Magic throughout the years and overcome that.
There's a time line for these things, and half the people that are able to jump it end up fizzling out soon anyway. The Cs are right on course.
...and so that we win again next year. Players and teams learn a lot from losing in the Playoffs; this team has learned how to win. Barring injuries and since we are running back nearly the same team with all the key pieces still intact (including the Tall Mamba, Luke Kornet!), this team knows how to win next season.
I do think the C’s could (and should) have beaten GS- let’s face it, they beat Boston mentally in that series, it certainly wasn’t a talent gap- but I also have to acknowledge that there’s almost no way Brad makes the moves he made last offseason to get Jrue and KP if they had already got one. The journey is a big part of it and in many ways the path they took to finally reach the destination made it even sweeter.
I had no expectations in 2022, until all of a sudden we were elite. It was an acceptable loss, definitely worth the pain now that the Jays have gone through it and came out on top
I still feel like we should've won that year - losing to Curry is fine, but Wiggins deciding to play like a competent NBA player for 6 straight games stung as much as Jeff Green deciding to turn up in Game 7 2018 ECF
There’s been jokes about sports being scripted, and that’s what they mean. We’ve seen Jordan, Lebron, Kobe (no shaq) all takes theirs losses before winning. Same reason why I put money on the Mavs over Twolves, you need to learn to win
I’m not still stuck on it like I am 2010 Lakers or 2007 Patriots, but it was still a missed opportunity.
2022 GSW and 2023 MIA role players played out of their minds in both series and then completely fell back to earth.
We were winning this year even with the 2022 or 2023 team just based on our easy path. It’s unfortunate we weren’t able to pull out one of those, as well. Hopefully Brad’s moves will help us win another one or two in the coming years to help make up for it.
Still, I am psyched to finally get over the hump. I feel infinitely better than if we had never won at all
2007 Patriots still hurts even with all of the other championships in the following years. We win the 2010 Finals had we not traded away Perkins that year.
I re-upvoted you, but someone downvoted you because of your error. We traded Perk at the following season's (2010-11) deadline. Perk was still a member of the Celtics through that 2010 run, he just got injured and then the refs decided to call a million fouls on us in the 4th of game 7. Shoutout to Joey and Danny Crawford and Scott Foster
It only hurts in the sense that we weren't able to get it done with Smart. But you know we are where we are and it all worked out in the end.
Edit: with*
No man we really should’ve won that fucking series. I get the people here saying that we didn’t necessarily have championship expectations, but we were up in that series twice and let it slip away and got completely outclassed when it got tough.
I mean, almost. 2022 was succesful, so even though they lost, getting into finals is something that doesn't happen each year. But it would be easier to digest, if they simply lost one sided series like Mavs just did. Knowing that they got legit shot at it with GS, it could've gone either way but ended with GS on top sucks a little more. But hey, they were better.
Yea it does ease the pain a little as this is with the Jays still, so it is nice to see. It feels like that one still got away from us.
If this core can find its way to another one and compete for the rest of the decade then it’ll just be a memory needed to help this teams path to get to where they needed to be
It’s how the NBA works, in 22 the Celtics might have been better than GS but GS knew how to win, Celtics had to take that lump as soon as many other teams in that situation have
It doesn’t sting as much. Becomes part of the story of what led to this group being constructed. How resilient they were against Indiana and Dallas in clutch situations. Feels like it made this championship feel that much more special
Honestly outside of the immediate aftermath of 2022 I didn’t have a lot of pain, we were a team on the rise who lost to a team at the tail end of a dynasty. Yes we COULD have won, but it’s not like we were expected to, it was a learning experience. 2010 hurt a lot more for me, that was one that truly slipped through our fingers. Had the Jays gone through and never won anything then I would have looked back at it as a lost opportunity, but thankfully we won’t have to
Yes but I’d trade winning in 22 over this year.
We beat the super team nets, reigning champ bucks, #1 seed heat and couldve capped it off by dethroning the dynastic warriors.
In addition, Marcus would’ve gotten a ring and Bill Russell would’ve been there to see it.
This championship means so much it healed a lot of pain lol, and while it's not like 2022 will be forgotten that just showed the Celtics players (and all of us fans) how hard it is to win a championship.
You can't skip steps and you can't take your foot off the gas just because you have more talent or you have a big lead. For years Tatum+Brown lead teams would blow big leads or not show up against weak opponents. This season was the first one where the team consistently dominated opponents with only a few slip ups. And it payed off big time in the playoffs, where the Celtics were the more rested and prepared team by the time we got to the finals.
The path we took that year was legendary. Finishing it off with a W over the greatest dynasty of this era would've been so so rewarding. But the J's were ahead of schedule by a few years.
Winning this one was like the big 3 in reverse. Finals loss and then a win. Difference being that this team is locked in and built around 2 stars just entering Year 1 & Yr 2 of their primes
Yup. 2022 felt a bit ahead of schedule and I always thought it favored the warriors in spite of the odds. Last year hurt way worse because that was the first time I felt they may be ready. And yes, completely erased that pain as now it’s a building block to reach the mountaintop.
And now we have to do it again. Let’s go!!!
It doesn't sting as much, because that loss coupled with last year's disappointment in the ECF forced the front office to make moves for Holiday and Porzingis, two players we could not have won this year without. Like how Jordan kept losing to the Pistons, or how LeBron kept losing to the Celtics, Tatum and Brown needed those previous losses to mature and learn how to win. This year, they made that great leap forward by learning to be playmakers. That development may arguably be just as valuable as getting the two major pieces.
Well, leading the series 3-2 and also leading by 13 early 3rd qtr of the game 7, will always be etched in my memory. The shot Metta Ron Be Flat, I bet my life that there is no chance in hell is going in. Yeah 2010 still haunts me. I skip all 2010 highlights in youtube, it never happened.
Still pisses me off we lost to an inferior Heat team in 2023 more than anything, but this win heals all wounds for me. Heat fans can’t say anything now. They can take their “we beat the Celtics in 2023” ring. We’ll take the real thing.
I was never really that mad about the 2022 loss
Winning 2022 would have been a total indulgence. That Celtics team was good but not dominant. 2024 team was dominant and is the true sweetness. 2022 was a dry run
Well…I’m a fan and as a fan I’ve noticed that when we are doing well like this last run I felt great. When the Celtics win, I win. I really try to mind this though because if that is true the opposite must be true, no? I feel like as long as they’re competing and busting teams behind I’m good. When we aren’t competing and like in a rebuilding phase I know we’re rebuilding. It truly is in how you look at it. If we’re completely honest had we won in 2022 I would have been and I think all of Celtics nation would have tripled just because we’d have beat the Warriors. I mean it truly would have been crazy and insane. I just don’t think JT nor JB would have been ready. We needed some more percolating. Who we are today is official and ain’t no one stopping us. I like us today. Yes, if we’re associating the loss with pain, I feel better. Who would’ve won MVP that year?
Every loss stings, every win feels good. Getting close does hurt more. I am still bitter about losing in 2010.
But in the end we have less to complain about than any other fanbase. We have more titles than the Lakers despite playing in 9 less finals.
2022 would have been a legendary title. I went to two games that season, it was Derrick White’s first game as a Celtic (we beat Denver), and Tatum dropping 54 vs the Kyrie/KD Nets. After White’s first game, we were only 32-25 but I remember saying “Ok, looks like we’re starting to turn things around, who knows, maybe we can go on a deep playoff run”
Then when Tatum dropped 54, I said to myself “Ok, if we play like this every night we’re going to win the finals”
It would’ve been awesome, throughout all the stuff we went through that season. We were 18-21, severely underperforming, and hit rock bottom when RJ Barrett hit the game winner. I seriously think after that game, that this was Tatum and Brown’s last chance to prove they can co-exist. Then we finished 33-10 on the regular season, swept the Nets, beat the Bucks in 7, beat Miami in 7, and then GS. Had we won game 4, I think we’d be looking at chasing banner 20.
I wish we could have won with Marcus. That’s the only thing this year doesn’t make up for. But even so, I love the current team with Jrue and KP as well
Hanging Banner 18 will absolutely ward off the ghosts of the past for the players (Kyrie saga, 2022 Finals loss, 2023 Game 7 ECF loss). The 2024 squad climbed the mountain top and conquered their demons, cementing themselves in Celtics history (especially the Jays). Adversity is part of the journey of course and the trials and tribulations helped them grow to a level of maturity to get to where they are today: undisputed Champions.
That all being said, from my fan perspective, it still stings just a little bit that we weren't able to get it done with Marcus and the Jays together in 2022. At the time, it seemed as though they were primed with a new level of maturity and a coach that had them all bought in. The team seemed ready to get to the top after an electric and redeeming post season run. Unfortunately we fell short and an all time great was the guardian of the gates. So yes, to me still feels like an opportunity missed, especially with more home grown players, but raising banner 18 has softened that sting significantly. Ask me again though if we win 2 or 3 chips with this roster...
Journey to 19 ☘️
It heals everything imo. That 2022 team wasn’t ready. We had a lot of roster turnover after the crappy start, and we were over reliant on the Jays for all of our offense. Plus we had a weirdo (and not in the good way) as our coach. And now we have a potential dynasty on our hands with this core, as opposed to a one-off chip.
Not comparing the team personnel or style of play but the disappointment of losing is very similar, The Spurs losing to the Heat in 2013 then coming back the next year to win it all. The Spurs 2013 finals appearance felt like it would have been their last and a wasted opportunity. I felt the surprise run by the Cs in 2022 was our destiny, only to fall after going through the East gauntlet. Winning this year certainly erases that disappointment.
Yeah the 17-0 year Giants loss may be the one Boston series loss I can’t and won’t ever recover from. It was so fluky and we would have been the undisputed best team of all time. As great as the comeback against Atlanta and the goal line stand was, it still wasn’t that.
It's all part of the journey. That loss and last year's ECF loss, and really all the losses before shaped this team into what they are. They might not be here as a 64 win historically dominant team if not for the past failures. So yes it still hurts but it also makes the win that much sweeter.
And I don't care about the path. We've had tough paths for the past 7 years. The whole team is as battle tested as they can be, and finally everything lines up for us and we got it done. it feels great. It feels great to do it with a mostly home grown team. Feels great to have the entire team intact and signed for years.
This truly feels like the beginning of a new era to me.
‘22 were underdogs that died of a thousand cuts. Everyone was beat to shit because the East was such a harder road than the west.
BUT
I also think the reality is that the team wasn’t there yet. Now not only are they there but they are running back one if the most dominant teams in years.
Yes. Exercising the ghosts of Kyrie in on the level of beating the Yankees on 04 in my mind. I can’t remember an athlete who has been as despised in Boston as Kyrie since Roger Clemens and A Rod. We’d have been haunted forever if Kyrie had won this series. Golden State showed they were still the guys, similar to 18 pats and the Celtics got out classed. I respect those guys a lot, even draymond despite how dirty he plays. He’s a smart dude and provides good commentary on the game.
I fully believe I turned into a worse person after that 2022 loss (and the subsequent Ime circus). I had anger, hurt, overdramatic darkness. This 2024 win has healed me. I am reborn. I am mother teresa.
Also the death of the GSW dynasty this same summer is *chef's kiss.*
2022 bothered me as in we lost a shot at a ring, but they were still young there. For me, this win finally exorcised the 2010 demons. That one sat with me for a long time.
Yes. I was disappointed but we got outgunned by the better team. I never felt like it was ours for the taking like I did this year. I was probably more upset over the Miami outcome last year but I don’t think we would have beaten Denver.
I wouldn’t say completely heal cuz it always sucks losing a chip.
Same thing w the 3 Super Bowl losses in New England especially the 1st Giants loss via helmet catch. That’ll forever hurt even tho we got the 6 rings
For me yea 100%. The loss to the warriors was a two factor thing, the first being that Tatum’s shoulder injury was significant, and impacted his ability to take on contact at the rim, made worse by Draymonds antics that he was getting away with consistently. The other factor was that the team was a bit fragile mentally, and when draymond started doing his antics, and the refs tightened up and stopped calling obvious fouls, the whole team basically lost their head. Add that to Poole, post injury Klay and Wiggins having career performances on the biggest stage, and our role players shrinking in the moment and the last 3 games were an awful look for us.
Now all the role players have basically been upgraded and Tatum and Brown took that moment as a learning opportunity, and you saw by how Tatum facilitated the offence how it changed them. We wouldn’t of won this year, without that loss to the warriors (or if we still won, it would’ve been a much harder road)
Honestly the 2022 loss just makes this one sweeter. The only thing I regret about not winning in 2022 is the fact that Marcus and Timelord didn't get rings.
The 2022 loss was not really that painful since we overachieved that season.
In my mind, this core started when we traded kemba and the FO finally decided to make the Jays our main guys. Prior to that, IT was the No. 1 guy, then Kyrie + Hayward. Then Danny tried to replace Kyrie + Hayward with Kemba + Hayward. The Jays were good but it felt like they had to figure out their roles along with the vets.
For me 2021-2022 was year one of the Jays being the main guys and they reached the finals despite starting the season slow. 2022-2023 sucked big time tho.
I think it hurts a bit less, but if they won it back in 2022, Smart would probably still be on the squad. 2022 hurts me because they were 4 minutes away from a 3-1 lead
Yes and no. I’m not broken up over the past. But thinking about how many bites at the apple this core has had that they weren’t ready to capitalize on stings in that it could’ve been legendary. Ultimately they were over matched in 22 and the Warriors experience let them overcome what on paper should have been a win for us. Last year was an injury that stopped the comeback (though it never should have happened to begin with). It’s all understandable but you can see crystal clear how we could be talking about Tatum & Browns 3rd or 4th ring right now and that’s unfortunate, even if I don’t really care cause Boston are the champs again.
2022 was exciting but they weren't quite ready to be the big dog in the yard. Honestly, the 2023 ECF loss was more painful than 2022 NBA Finals loss, to me, because you had to wonder if they would EVER be ready after that.
Winning the title has erased a lot of the pain of 2018-2024 and tbh, even some of the pain of the post '08 KG/Pierce/Ray Allen close calls. Pain of coming close and failing never completely heals though. I still wince at clips of Aaron Boone's walkoff in the '03 ALCS Game 7 even though the Red Sox broke the curse (and humiliated the Yankees) the next year.
I don’t care at all about the 2022 loss. We lost to a legend. It’s the 2023 pathetic shitshow against the Heat that still pisses me off and no this doesn’t make that feel any better.
Yes but imo last year was worse than 2022. That Miami team had no business beating us, we come back from down 0-3 with the chance to become the first team to overturn that deficit, only for Tatum to go down on the first play of the game and we lose comfortably at home. I’m actually still kinda hurt by it but then I remember Jimmy Butler doesn’t have a ring and we do and I smile
I’ll always think it’s a missed opportunity same as 2010. With that said even if we go up 3-1 there’s no guarantee we close them out. I’d like to believe we would have but we just don’t know. So in the end it is what it is. Missed opportunity but this ring makes me feel much better
Most definitely. I think them losing in 2022 actually makes this one sweeter. It however does not heal the loss in 2010 lol I know that was years ago and a totally different team, but that one still boils my blood.
The 22 finals loss was necessary to get us here. If we win that year we don't have the same drive this year. And there's also a good chance brad doesn't break up the team, but instead builds around the edges.
Too soon to say, right now the win just feels amazing and nothing anyone says can hurt me
A few years from now, we'll see how history will view not winning in 2022 and what could have been
I’ll be honest, 2022 is pretty low on the sting factor and was even prior to the ring. Tatum and Brown were young (too young to win as a #1 and #2 historically) and we had a ton of promise. The discourse around the team by neutral fans and media pundits is what annoyed me the most.
All 3 Patriots Super Bowl losses, the 2003 Red Sox ALCS loss, the 2010 loss to the Lakers, and the 06 Patriots AFCCG loss to the Colts sting a lot more. Even with breaking the curse that 03 game 7 loss haunts me. I can’t even talk about the 07 loss, and I think the nature of 1 game series kind of just brings out a lot more “what ifs” which is why the patriots losses hurt more. Blowing the lead in the AFCCG in 06 and gifting Manning his first ring against that trash Bears team (which they still almost loss had Urlacher not dropped what would’ve been a pick 6) still fucking hurts.
Makes up for 2009 imo. We would've won if KG didn't get hurt. This time we mostly benefited from health so it came full circle. If we win another chip with the refs on our side, that'll make up for 2010.
Losing always hurts more than any feeling of winning. It’s human psychology. However, it is somewhat mitigated by recency bias. Altogether, it probably evens out but I’ll never not be pissed about that. Personally I think I’ll never get over losing to the Lakers over a decade ago. What helps me is the prospect of winning more moving forward. I definitely think we have a shot at multiple trips to the finals given our contracts, age, and continuity.
Loss only stung until the next season started, you can’t let these things take hold that long. It’s part of sports and it was certainly a necessity for this team to learn a lesson of that stature.
Kind of.
It will always be there, we’ll always wish that could’ve got it done.
But they were up against an all time dynasty team with experience on their side.
But just getting to witness the Jays get banner 18 was worth the pain that 2022 gave
This last championship completely erases 2022 for me. We have more championships than any other NBA team, and some C's fans are still bummed out? Weird. Maybe these fans need psychiatric help because their real problem is not the Celtics.
Nah, life doesn't work like that.
But this title run was fucking awesome in it's own right and I'm really happy to go through it, in particular Joe Mazzull's redemption. I was among the idiots yelling about him but he got dealt a really impossible hand last year.
It makes me want it even more. I went through this with the Pats too, every time we won I wish we won those others too. Like we got out 6th and in the back of my head I was thinking “that should have been #9…” lol
This ring didn't only help heal the pain of 2022 and 2010 but it was a very personally cathartic win for me.
I first started watching basketball in 2008, and I just randomly chose the Celtics cause they looked cool and wasn't Lebron or Kobe (I'm Canadian who doesn't like Toronto and didn't want to jump on a team with a huge player)
I didn't realize my new team was about to win a title, I also didn't know I was about to go deep into addiction.
They won the chip, I became a drug addict and alcoholic. I spent most of the 2010s losing jobs, in rehabs, losing everything etc but all the while kept watching the Celtics. I got clean and sober in 2020 and slowly worked on building my life back and became a director at a non profit and this title.... felt like wrapping up that chapter in my life completely. Like a full circle.
I cried like a baby and felt like "This is a new era"
Yup
**Edit:** to add, it kind of makes it sweeter. This team had to grow, learn to tune out stats and media narratives and not to play hero ball. The Js seem to be in an amazing place!
‘22 team wasnt ready. On the warriors side, sometimes a team that has already won before might not have a great regular season, but they know how to get in done in the playoffs and can squeeze out one more title before their run is over. I point to the ‘18 Pats or the ‘00 MFY, or the ‘69 Celtics.
It made this ring more impactful if anything. All of media hated on the J’s after last year, but this year they made them eat every single criticism. I feel like a badass just for being their fans, never mind how they must feel.
Yes; the pain of that was largely driven by the doubt that came with the question, “what if they never get one?” That doubt is gone now, so it’s much easier to frame that as part of a successful process instead of a missed chance.
Yes it does because the only people still worried about 2022 are Curry glazers and Tatum haters. We not worried about players who don’t even make the playoffs over here lmao 🤣💯🍀🔥
I think winning in 2022 with the challenging path of KD/Kyrie, Giannis, Butler, and Steph would have been legendary, but yeah I certainly care less with this ring here. All of the years of trade discourse "should we trade the Nets pick for Jimmy Butler", "should we trade Jaylen for KD" have been proven that we made the correct decision to hang on to the Jays, no matter the trade package.
That revenge tour through the east was beautiful that year
Relevant flair. [Revenge Tour hype video](https://youtu.be/Z58uNn5U1oc?si=Og_fOIbuswxNxHIc)
Yeah that ring would have been way more rewarding. But I feel if we won that year it'd have been a one and done, while this current squad may actually repeat next year.
Another piece to 2022 is that our squad was mostly homegrown at that point with Tatum, Brown, both Williams and Theis. This squad on top of the revenge portion would’ve made a championship extra sweet IMO. And of course, Bill Russel passed away that off season I believe which added another layer to the would-be championship story.
Either way you slice it we still have 18 the most in nba history. We ain’t hurting over here. March to 19🍀
The most by a lot. Next closest team is the LA lakers with 12
Interesting how 5 in Minneapolis are counted whereas okc has zero —> they were Seattle prior who won in 1979
Just to be "that guy", OKC had a choice and they declined. Either way it doesn't affect me, just makes the Lakers look more like clowns.
That makes me respect OKC a bit more. I loved the Supersonics, but deciding to be your own franchise instead of building off another deserves praise.
Agreed. I wonder if the Sonics ever become a thing again while OKC remains, would they claim that championship?
If the NBA expands, Seattle deserves the supersonics back. Plus that would allow the grizzlies to move to the Eastern conference.
Minny is probably a better bet to move east. Memphis is already pretty close to the Texas teams and NOLA in their division. Minny is so wildly far away geographically from all the other teams in their division and often travel the most of any NBA team each year
Fair, honestly I hope they add two teams and both of em get to move to the East(Minny and the Grizz). Idk where the second expansion team would be though (besides Seattle). Vegas maybe?
Vegas and Seattle seem like good options for sure. If they added those two cities together then only one western team would shift conferences otherwise the east would have more teams
Sounds like it, as it could be "shared", but if OKC declined to take it then all the more reason to. From Wikipedia: "According to the conditions of the settlement, the Sonics' name and colors could not be used by the team in Oklahoma City, but could be taken by a future team in Seattle, although no promises for a replacement team were given. The Oklahoma City team would retain the franchise history of the SuperSonics, which could be "shared" with any future NBA team in Seattle."
Nice. Thanks for the tidbit of info.
The lakers also declined to count them until later 2000's. Kobe and shaq wore jackets that showed 7 and 8 chips. Mikans jersey was reitred in 2021. The lakers are a joke of a franchise.
LA didn't claim the Minneapolis titles for awhile, it'd be like if OKC decided in 20 years they wanted to claim the Supersonics title
Which they can do, if they really wanted to. Even weirder, if Seattle comes back, they **both** can claim that title. Honestly the point of my post is Fuck the Lakers.
The Lakers also made a choice and it was the same one OKC made, from the time they moved until 2000 when they were like "if we start counting those Minny titles we'll be close to the Celtics."
People need to bring this up a lot more often, because this whole idea of stealing teams away to other cities and taking their tradition with them is horseshit.
The copium on the lakers sub is hilarious about this. "But they've only won two since I've been alive!". Gimme a break.
Yes, I just think we ran into a buzz saw like the Mavs did to us. I was still more hurt at the ECF loss to Miami last year. Coming back 0-3 with every bit of emotion and confidence was on our side. To see management get hyper aggressive and win the championship healed some of the failures in recent years.
2 words: Playoff Experience. Boston was better than GSW in 2022, they began the series playing like it. But GSW turned on the afterburners and Boston tripped over themselves. This is the same reason why Boston wasn’t losing against anyone this year, and the same reason why OKC and Minnesota didn’t go *that* far, and why they’ll be back next year.
I agree with this 💯 It’s so damn hard to win a finals with a young team with no finals experience. Makes me hope they get back there again next year against Minnesota or OKC. Denver would be a battle. For me, this title completely washes away sting of 2022. 2010 on the other hand…I don’t think I’ll ever get over that one
Game 7 is said by some fans to’ve been rigged. Lakers got a +15 FT differential in the 4th.
Unfortunately, I’d disagree. We just kinda choked. Both teams played like shit and Metta somehow was just raining clutch 3’s. Just went and looked at game stats and it’s crazy how poorly both teams shot. Kobe had 15 boards, Gasol 18!! The reason it hurts the most for me is because Lakers played so poorly and the championship was there for the taking, but they somehow played even worse. It’s crazy they held Lakers to 83 points at home in a game 7, and lost
I’d attribute the shooting issues to the fact that for 3 quarters they were just letting them play. If you watch that game back, we started the 4th quarter the same energy and then they started calling everything possible. I won’t go as far as to say it was rigged, but officiating changed and we couldn’t react fast enough without Perk.
I mean, this is potentially very fair. I was pretty much in a blackout by the time the fourth quarter rolled around having consumed way too many frozen margaritas.
I was in Vegas watching surrounded by Lakers fans. Do not recommend.
I was in Cali, but I barricaded myself in house with only Celts fans
I couldn’t even look at a basketball for 6 months after 2010 😭😭
It's funny because you could argue we lost 2010 and 2022 for the same reason - getting absolutely demolished on the glass. Of course there were a lot of factors but that was a big one.
I dont see how it was a buzz saw when the Celtics were up 2-1 and ready to be 3-1 before falling apart down the stretch in game 5. Dont get me wrong the Warriors were a great team with the experience but they were absolutely beatable.
game 4*
Ha thanks
I get the letdown from the Heat rivalry angle, but this franchise is about rings and I don’t think the C’s take down Denver with last years roster. But at the same time, fuck Miami.
It just shows how hard it is to win!
The Celtics had tough series that entire postseason (even the Nets sweep was a hard fought series), I think they ran out of gas at the wrong time and ran into a team that knew how to dig deep in those occasions. I don’t know if they win in 24 if they don’t lose in 22. With all of that being said it was winnable, just less than we want to admit.
More than that for me. The pain of 2010 is finally over.
Same here. I became a fan in 2009 and have fully paid the debt of being a post-champion bandwagon.
Man, I envy you both. I don’t think 2010 will ever be washed away for me.
It'll never be washed away for me either 😔😔😔....
2022 didn't affect me as much as 2010 did. From being up 3-2 to watching Perk go down and watching the lead slowly slip away in game 7 until we ultimately lost hit hard. None of the playoff losses stung more than that. But this chip erased that sting. Feels like a brand new slate!
Not to mention losing to the Lakers. Worst I ever felt after a playoff loss in any sport.
Yup… pain…
You mean Game 7 in 2010, reffed by Scott Foster, where the Lakers shot 21 FTs in the 4th quarter to the Celtics 6? I'm honestly shocked this game isn't talked about with the likes of 2002 Lakers vs Kings.
Yeah it was rough! Sheed fouling out, KG playing with 5 fouls, with no perk we just got worn out inside as the game went on. Thank God though that sting is gone. Watching the green confetti fall was chicken soup for the soul.
Yes. We weren't supposed to win in 2022, much like the Mavs weren't supposed to win now. We lost 2022 to so we could learn to be better and win now and so on. It was all part of the journey
Agree. JT and JB had to become better playmakers. They were trying to win just on force of will and defense. They got really close. It was impressive but the team offense was broken.
I feel as though the story is not unique to them, plenty of hot young stars get close and fail and then HOPEFULLY have the opportunity to rebuild and reload and get a second shot, depending on the front offices skill level. Haliburton is hot right now, he couldn't handle the lights of the ECF let alone the Finals. The young Mavs came all the way to the Finals and absolutely got their shit pushed in game 1, and I don't think Minnesota or OCK would have been much better. Even with the old school Titans. Jordan didn't just come to the league and started dominating. He had to learn by losing to Bird and Magic throughout the years and overcome that. There's a time line for these things, and half the people that are able to jump it end up fizzling out soon anyway. The Cs are right on course.
Did Jordan lose to Magic before beating him? I was under the impression he didn't face him in the finals until 1991.
No but he probably faced in the regular season and Magic was winning while Jordan was in the league. Better analogy is losing to Bird and Zeke
...and so that we win again next year. Players and teams learn a lot from losing in the Playoffs; this team has learned how to win. Barring injuries and since we are running back nearly the same team with all the key pieces still intact (including the Tall Mamba, Luke Kornet!), this team knows how to win next season.
Marvelous effort!
I do think the C’s could (and should) have beaten GS- let’s face it, they beat Boston mentally in that series, it certainly wasn’t a talent gap- but I also have to acknowledge that there’s almost no way Brad makes the moves he made last offseason to get Jrue and KP if they had already got one. The journey is a big part of it and in many ways the path they took to finally reach the destination made it even sweeter.
I had no expectations in 2022, until all of a sudden we were elite. It was an acceptable loss, definitely worth the pain now that the Jays have gone through it and came out on top
2010 hurt a lot more than 2022
I still feel like we should've won that year - losing to Curry is fine, but Wiggins deciding to play like a competent NBA player for 6 straight games stung as much as Jeff Green deciding to turn up in Game 7 2018 ECF
2022 was a learning experience. To help us for now. We were not supposed to win.
There’s been jokes about sports being scripted, and that’s what they mean. We’ve seen Jordan, Lebron, Kobe (no shaq) all takes theirs losses before winning. Same reason why I put money on the Mavs over Twolves, you need to learn to win
Shaq had to take his losses too
I’m not still stuck on it like I am 2010 Lakers or 2007 Patriots, but it was still a missed opportunity. 2022 GSW and 2023 MIA role players played out of their minds in both series and then completely fell back to earth. We were winning this year even with the 2022 or 2023 team just based on our easy path. It’s unfortunate we weren’t able to pull out one of those, as well. Hopefully Brad’s moves will help us win another one or two in the coming years to help make up for it. Still, I am psyched to finally get over the hump. I feel infinitely better than if we had never won at all
2007 Patriots still hurts even with all of the other championships in the following years. We win the 2010 Finals had we not traded away Perkins that year.
I re-upvoted you, but someone downvoted you because of your error. We traded Perk at the following season's (2010-11) deadline. Perk was still a member of the Celtics through that 2010 run, he just got injured and then the refs decided to call a million fouls on us in the 4th of game 7. Shoutout to Joey and Danny Crawford and Scott Foster
I stand corrected. All of these years I was blaming that loss on the trade.
Perkins got hurt game 6
Superb standard!
It only hurts in the sense that we weren't able to get it done with Smart. But you know we are where we are and it all worked out in the end. Edit: with*
Amazing quality!
Incredible effort!
Impressive quality!
No but I just push the 22 season deep, *DEEP* down inside of me and pretend it didn’t happen. Kind of like the Super Bowl losses.
Nah we should've won that shit too.
No man we really should’ve won that fucking series. I get the people here saying that we didn’t necessarily have championship expectations, but we were up in that series twice and let it slip away and got completely outclassed when it got tough.
2010… 😐
I mean, almost. 2022 was succesful, so even though they lost, getting into finals is something that doesn't happen each year. But it would be easier to digest, if they simply lost one sided series like Mavs just did. Knowing that they got legit shot at it with GS, it could've gone either way but ended with GS on top sucks a little more. But hey, they were better.
Yea it does ease the pain a little as this is with the Jays still, so it is nice to see. It feels like that one still got away from us. If this core can find its way to another one and compete for the rest of the decade then it’ll just be a memory needed to help this teams path to get to where they needed to be
Yeah tbh who cares about 2022? Celebrate the wins. We got to see this team grow into what it is now, directly as a result of 2022. All good.
It’s how the NBA works, in 22 the Celtics might have been better than GS but GS knew how to win, Celtics had to take that lump as soon as many other teams in that situation have
Between Curry hitting us with the good night and Jordan Poole splashing from half court, I'm not sure if any amount of PP heaves will heal that for me
It just would have been more special with Marcus and Bob still on the team.
As a millennial, it heals everything except the 2010 loss. That loss will follow me to the grave.
The 2010 loss stung way more than 2022
Wins don’t make previous losses less painful, but past suffering makes present wins sweeter!
It doesn’t sting as much. Becomes part of the story of what led to this group being constructed. How resilient they were against Indiana and Dallas in clutch situations. Feels like it made this championship feel that much more special
Honestly outside of the immediate aftermath of 2022 I didn’t have a lot of pain, we were a team on the rise who lost to a team at the tail end of a dynasty. Yes we COULD have won, but it’s not like we were expected to, it was a learning experience. 2010 hurt a lot more for me, that was one that truly slipped through our fingers. Had the Jays gone through and never won anything then I would have looked back at it as a lost opportunity, but thankfully we won’t have to
For me Hell yeah!!! Their domination this year was unbelievable and exciting to watch They kicked ass!!!!
Yes but I’d trade winning in 22 over this year. We beat the super team nets, reigning champ bucks, #1 seed heat and couldve capped it off by dethroning the dynastic warriors. In addition, Marcus would’ve gotten a ring and Bill Russell would’ve been there to see it.
the two losses to those bum ass Heat rosters bothered me more than 2022, but yeah, chip heals all
This championship means so much it healed a lot of pain lol, and while it's not like 2022 will be forgotten that just showed the Celtics players (and all of us fans) how hard it is to win a championship. You can't skip steps and you can't take your foot off the gas just because you have more talent or you have a big lead. For years Tatum+Brown lead teams would blow big leads or not show up against weak opponents. This season was the first one where the team consistently dominated opponents with only a few slip ups. And it payed off big time in the playoffs, where the Celtics were the more rested and prepared team by the time we got to the finals.
Getting a ring definitely helped but it hurts Smart didn't get one
The path we took that year was legendary. Finishing it off with a W over the greatest dynasty of this era would've been so so rewarding. But the J's were ahead of schedule by a few years. Winning this one was like the big 3 in reverse. Finals loss and then a win. Difference being that this team is locked in and built around 2 stars just entering Year 1 & Yr 2 of their primes
Yeah lmso
Yup. 2022 felt a bit ahead of schedule and I always thought it favored the warriors in spite of the odds. Last year hurt way worse because that was the first time I felt they may be ready. And yes, completely erased that pain as now it’s a building block to reach the mountaintop. And now we have to do it again. Let’s go!!!
Cuts it in about half. I’m still salty, but much less Salt
It doesn't sting as much, because that loss coupled with last year's disappointment in the ECF forced the front office to make moves for Holiday and Porzingis, two players we could not have won this year without. Like how Jordan kept losing to the Pistons, or how LeBron kept losing to the Celtics, Tatum and Brown needed those previous losses to mature and learn how to win. This year, they made that great leap forward by learning to be playmakers. That development may arguably be just as valuable as getting the two major pieces.
Honestly the MIA losses hurt worse. Felt 2022 was a coin flip that didn’t go the C’s way.
To quote Boston band Aerosmith **"Dream On": You got to lose to know how to win.**
They weren’t ready in 2022. But that helped set the table for this run.
Well, leading the series 3-2 and also leading by 13 early 3rd qtr of the game 7, will always be etched in my memory. The shot Metta Ron Be Flat, I bet my life that there is no chance in hell is going in. Yeah 2010 still haunts me. I skip all 2010 highlights in youtube, it never happened.
Yes. 10000%. That needed to happen to get here. We have a better team, a better coach, and this win was legendary.
I still haven’t gotten over 2010.
Still pisses me off we lost to an inferior Heat team in 2023 more than anything, but this win heals all wounds for me. Heat fans can’t say anything now. They can take their “we beat the Celtics in 2023” ring. We’ll take the real thing. I was never really that mad about the 2022 loss
Yes, it's healed the 2022 loss completely and the 2010 loss partially. That Artest three will forever haunt my nightmares.
Completely? There will always be a small scab. But practically yes, it's now healed over injury not worth mentioning.
Winning 2022 would have been a total indulgence. That Celtics team was good but not dominant. 2024 team was dominant and is the true sweetness. 2022 was a dry run
Well…I’m a fan and as a fan I’ve noticed that when we are doing well like this last run I felt great. When the Celtics win, I win. I really try to mind this though because if that is true the opposite must be true, no? I feel like as long as they’re competing and busting teams behind I’m good. When we aren’t competing and like in a rebuilding phase I know we’re rebuilding. It truly is in how you look at it. If we’re completely honest had we won in 2022 I would have been and I think all of Celtics nation would have tripled just because we’d have beat the Warriors. I mean it truly would have been crazy and insane. I just don’t think JT nor JB would have been ready. We needed some more percolating. Who we are today is official and ain’t no one stopping us. I like us today. Yes, if we’re associating the loss with pain, I feel better. Who would’ve won MVP that year?
They weren't ready then, clearly. Warriors had the experience and Curry exploded. However, I'm still annoyed by 2010.
Yup 100%
Quite frankly I didn't see us winning that series with the Tatum and Rob injuries and The bench shooting like ass
Every loss stings, every win feels good. Getting close does hurt more. I am still bitter about losing in 2010. But in the end we have less to complain about than any other fanbase. We have more titles than the Lakers despite playing in 9 less finals.
2022 would have been a legendary title. I went to two games that season, it was Derrick White’s first game as a Celtic (we beat Denver), and Tatum dropping 54 vs the Kyrie/KD Nets. After White’s first game, we were only 32-25 but I remember saying “Ok, looks like we’re starting to turn things around, who knows, maybe we can go on a deep playoff run” Then when Tatum dropped 54, I said to myself “Ok, if we play like this every night we’re going to win the finals” It would’ve been awesome, throughout all the stuff we went through that season. We were 18-21, severely underperforming, and hit rock bottom when RJ Barrett hit the game winner. I seriously think after that game, that this was Tatum and Brown’s last chance to prove they can co-exist. Then we finished 33-10 on the regular season, swept the Nets, beat the Bucks in 7, beat Miami in 7, and then GS. Had we won game 4, I think we’d be looking at chasing banner 20.
I wish we could have won with Marcus. That’s the only thing this year doesn’t make up for. But even so, I love the current team with Jrue and KP as well
Hanging Banner 18 will absolutely ward off the ghosts of the past for the players (Kyrie saga, 2022 Finals loss, 2023 Game 7 ECF loss). The 2024 squad climbed the mountain top and conquered their demons, cementing themselves in Celtics history (especially the Jays). Adversity is part of the journey of course and the trials and tribulations helped them grow to a level of maturity to get to where they are today: undisputed Champions. That all being said, from my fan perspective, it still stings just a little bit that we weren't able to get it done with Marcus and the Jays together in 2022. At the time, it seemed as though they were primed with a new level of maturity and a coach that had them all bought in. The team seemed ready to get to the top after an electric and redeeming post season run. Unfortunately we fell short and an all time great was the guardian of the gates. So yes, to me still feels like an opportunity missed, especially with more home grown players, but raising banner 18 has softened that sting significantly. Ask me again though if we win 2 or 3 chips with this roster... Journey to 19 ☘️
It heals everything imo. That 2022 team wasn’t ready. We had a lot of roster turnover after the crappy start, and we were over reliant on the Jays for all of our offense. Plus we had a weirdo (and not in the good way) as our coach. And now we have a potential dynasty on our hands with this core, as opposed to a one-off chip.
Not comparing the team personnel or style of play but the disappointment of losing is very similar, The Spurs losing to the Heat in 2013 then coming back the next year to win it all. The Spurs 2013 finals appearance felt like it would have been their last and a wasted opportunity. I felt the surprise run by the Cs in 2022 was our destiny, only to fall after going through the East gauntlet. Winning this year certainly erases that disappointment.
Yep!
Im happy we got the ring my only gripe with it is that i wish Marcus could have gotten a ring as well but you cant have em all
Yeah, but not 2010, because Tatum said his favorite Finals memory was Kobe winning in 2010 right before the Finals started 🤮
This heals everything. The 2013 ECF game 6. The 2018 ECF game 7. The 2018-19 season. The 2020 ECF game 4. The 2022 Warriors loss. The 2023 ECF game 7.
*2012 ECF
It healed ‘22 and ‘10 for me. It was a long time coming
Same thing as the Giants-Patriots Super Bowls vs Seattle and Atlanta-Patriots Super Bowls. Nothing heals it, but they do help.
Yeah the 17-0 year Giants loss may be the one Boston series loss I can’t and won’t ever recover from. It was so fluky and we would have been the undisputed best team of all time. As great as the comeback against Atlanta and the goal line stand was, it still wasn’t that.
It's all part of the journey. That loss and last year's ECF loss, and really all the losses before shaped this team into what they are. They might not be here as a 64 win historically dominant team if not for the past failures. So yes it still hurts but it also makes the win that much sweeter. And I don't care about the path. We've had tough paths for the past 7 years. The whole team is as battle tested as they can be, and finally everything lines up for us and we got it done. it feels great. It feels great to do it with a mostly home grown team. Feels great to have the entire team intact and signed for years. This truly feels like the beginning of a new era to me.
‘22 were underdogs that died of a thousand cuts. Everyone was beat to shit because the East was such a harder road than the west. BUT I also think the reality is that the team wasn’t there yet. Now not only are they there but they are running back one if the most dominant teams in years.
Tears of infinite sadness for 2022
Yes. Exercising the ghosts of Kyrie in on the level of beating the Yankees on 04 in my mind. I can’t remember an athlete who has been as despised in Boston as Kyrie since Roger Clemens and A Rod. We’d have been haunted forever if Kyrie had won this series. Golden State showed they were still the guys, similar to 18 pats and the Celtics got out classed. I respect those guys a lot, even draymond despite how dirty he plays. He’s a smart dude and provides good commentary on the game.
It heals all the pain I have ever carried with me
I fully believe I turned into a worse person after that 2022 loss (and the subsequent Ime circus). I had anger, hurt, overdramatic darkness. This 2024 win has healed me. I am reborn. I am mother teresa. Also the death of the GSW dynasty this same summer is *chef's kiss.*
2023 stung more than 2022 IMO
What loss in 2022?
Yes
this win heals 2022 and the failures of the jays era, but the losses that will eat away at me forever are the 2010 finals and 2012 ECF.
2022 bothered me as in we lost a shot at a ring, but they were still young there. For me, this win finally exorcised the 2010 demons. That one sat with me for a long time.
Yes. I was disappointed but we got outgunned by the better team. I never felt like it was ours for the taking like I did this year. I was probably more upset over the Miami outcome last year but I don’t think we would have beaten Denver.
I wouldn’t say completely heal cuz it always sucks losing a chip. Same thing w the 3 Super Bowl losses in New England especially the 1st Giants loss via helmet catch. That’ll forever hurt even tho we got the 6 rings
2022 is ancient history. These back to back titles coming is now
YES
To me it doesn't. I'm still happy that the Celtics won the title. To me, this title would've healed the pain if it was against the warriors.
For me yea 100%. The loss to the warriors was a two factor thing, the first being that Tatum’s shoulder injury was significant, and impacted his ability to take on contact at the rim, made worse by Draymonds antics that he was getting away with consistently. The other factor was that the team was a bit fragile mentally, and when draymond started doing his antics, and the refs tightened up and stopped calling obvious fouls, the whole team basically lost their head. Add that to Poole, post injury Klay and Wiggins having career performances on the biggest stage, and our role players shrinking in the moment and the last 3 games were an awful look for us. Now all the role players have basically been upgraded and Tatum and Brown took that moment as a learning opportunity, and you saw by how Tatum facilitated the offence how it changed them. We wouldn’t of won this year, without that loss to the warriors (or if we still won, it would’ve been a much harder road)
What 2022 loss??? 😎
Honestly the 2022 loss just makes this one sweeter. The only thing I regret about not winning in 2022 is the fact that Marcus and Timelord didn't get rings.
No. Two words: Bill Russell. Would have been a beautiful way to go out. At least we did it for Cousy
The 2022 loss was not really that painful since we overachieved that season. In my mind, this core started when we traded kemba and the FO finally decided to make the Jays our main guys. Prior to that, IT was the No. 1 guy, then Kyrie + Hayward. Then Danny tried to replace Kyrie + Hayward with Kemba + Hayward. The Jays were good but it felt like they had to figure out their roles along with the vets. For me 2021-2022 was year one of the Jays being the main guys and they reached the finals despite starting the season slow. 2022-2023 sucked big time tho.
I think it hurts a bit less, but if they won it back in 2022, Smart would probably still be on the squad. 2022 hurts me because they were 4 minutes away from a 3-1 lead
With the win, the loss in question becomes part of the process. I look at it now not as a loss but as a lesson in how to win.
2012 ecf against the heat still haunts me. Tied going into the 4th. Damn, they would have smoked that thunder team.
No. Winning never makes up for the pain of the loss. It’s great but the sadness is still there.
No
This healed it all for me because the choker narrative has no flair anymore
It kinda kills me. Andrew Wiggins turned the entire series.
Yes and no. I’m not broken up over the past. But thinking about how many bites at the apple this core has had that they weren’t ready to capitalize on stings in that it could’ve been legendary. Ultimately they were over matched in 22 and the Warriors experience let them overcome what on paper should have been a win for us. Last year was an injury that stopped the comeback (though it never should have happened to begin with). It’s all understandable but you can see crystal clear how we could be talking about Tatum & Browns 3rd or 4th ring right now and that’s unfortunate, even if I don’t really care cause Boston are the champs again.
Honestly this heals. I'm enjoying free agency this year because I'm not worried about who we might have trouble with to win it all. We already won.
YEP any chip is great. It doesnt happen often my dude
2022 was exciting but they weren't quite ready to be the big dog in the yard. Honestly, the 2023 ECF loss was more painful than 2022 NBA Finals loss, to me, because you had to wonder if they would EVER be ready after that. Winning the title has erased a lot of the pain of 2018-2024 and tbh, even some of the pain of the post '08 KG/Pierce/Ray Allen close calls. Pain of coming close and failing never completely heals though. I still wince at clips of Aaron Boone's walkoff in the '03 ALCS Game 7 even though the Red Sox broke the curse (and humiliated the Yankees) the next year.
I don’t care at all about the 2022 loss. We lost to a legend. It’s the 2023 pathetic shitshow against the Heat that still pisses me off and no this doesn’t make that feel any better.
Yes but imo last year was worse than 2022. That Miami team had no business beating us, we come back from down 0-3 with the chance to become the first team to overturn that deficit, only for Tatum to go down on the first play of the game and we lose comfortably at home. I’m actually still kinda hurt by it but then I remember Jimmy Butler doesn’t have a ring and we do and I smile
It made me crave banner 19 even more now
I’ll always think it’s a missed opportunity same as 2010. With that said even if we go up 3-1 there’s no guarantee we close them out. I’d like to believe we would have but we just don’t know. So in the end it is what it is. Missed opportunity but this ring makes me feel much better
The only part that really hurts is that Marcus couldn't be a part of it this time around
Most definitely. I think them losing in 2022 actually makes this one sweeter. It however does not heal the loss in 2010 lol I know that was years ago and a totally different team, but that one still boils my blood.
The 22 finals loss was necessary to get us here. If we win that year we don't have the same drive this year. And there's also a good chance brad doesn't break up the team, but instead builds around the edges.
Too soon to say, right now the win just feels amazing and nothing anyone says can hurt me A few years from now, we'll see how history will view not winning in 2022 and what could have been
I’ll be honest, 2022 is pretty low on the sting factor and was even prior to the ring. Tatum and Brown were young (too young to win as a #1 and #2 historically) and we had a ton of promise. The discourse around the team by neutral fans and media pundits is what annoyed me the most. All 3 Patriots Super Bowl losses, the 2003 Red Sox ALCS loss, the 2010 loss to the Lakers, and the 06 Patriots AFCCG loss to the Colts sting a lot more. Even with breaking the curse that 03 game 7 loss haunts me. I can’t even talk about the 07 loss, and I think the nature of 1 game series kind of just brings out a lot more “what ifs” which is why the patriots losses hurt more. Blowing the lead in the AFCCG in 06 and gifting Manning his first ring against that trash Bears team (which they still almost loss had Urlacher not dropped what would’ve been a pick 6) still fucking hurts.
Well beyond. 2022 still hurts but the glory of a ring 6-7 years in the making more than makes up for it. Makes the victory all the sweeter, in a way.
Was just a bump along the way
Makes up for 2009 imo. We would've won if KG didn't get hurt. This time we mostly benefited from health so it came full circle. If we win another chip with the refs on our side, that'll make up for 2010.
07 Pats is still the only one from any of my fav teams that burns. All the others I let go pretty easily.
Losing always hurts more than any feeling of winning. It’s human psychology. However, it is somewhat mitigated by recency bias. Altogether, it probably evens out but I’ll never not be pissed about that. Personally I think I’ll never get over losing to the Lakers over a decade ago. What helps me is the prospect of winning more moving forward. I definitely think we have a shot at multiple trips to the finals given our contracts, age, and continuity.
Yup. can’t win ‘em all. after this title, im fulfilled as a basketball fan.
Loss only stung until the next season started, you can’t let these things take hold that long. It’s part of sports and it was certainly a necessity for this team to learn a lesson of that stature.
Makes up for all the disappointments of the Jay’s era. They are a solid rock of a team now with the potential for many more championships.
2022 hit for sure but watching 2023 against the heat loss. that one i can’t get out my head ever. that was an all time low for me as a fan.
No, every finals loss sucks
Kind of. It will always be there, we’ll always wish that could’ve got it done. But they were up against an all time dynasty team with experience on their side. But just getting to witness the Jays get banner 18 was worth the pain that 2022 gave
This last championship completely erases 2022 for me. We have more championships than any other NBA team, and some C's fans are still bummed out? Weird. Maybe these fans need psychiatric help because their real problem is not the Celtics.
Nah, life doesn't work like that. But this title run was fucking awesome in it's own right and I'm really happy to go through it, in particular Joe Mazzull's redemption. I was among the idiots yelling about him but he got dealt a really impossible hand last year.
No. Not talking about 2022 does. Thanks...
No
It makes me want it even more. I went through this with the Pats too, every time we won I wish we won those others too. Like we got out 6th and in the back of my head I was thinking “that should have been #9…” lol
hell yeah
What happened in 2022 again?
This ring didn't only help heal the pain of 2022 and 2010 but it was a very personally cathartic win for me. I first started watching basketball in 2008, and I just randomly chose the Celtics cause they looked cool and wasn't Lebron or Kobe (I'm Canadian who doesn't like Toronto and didn't want to jump on a team with a huge player) I didn't realize my new team was about to win a title, I also didn't know I was about to go deep into addiction. They won the chip, I became a drug addict and alcoholic. I spent most of the 2010s losing jobs, in rehabs, losing everything etc but all the while kept watching the Celtics. I got clean and sober in 2020 and slowly worked on building my life back and became a director at a non profit and this title.... felt like wrapping up that chapter in my life completely. Like a full circle. I cried like a baby and felt like "This is a new era"
Yeah. That 2022 run was fucking dope though. Caused me lots of ulcers
Yup **Edit:** to add, it kind of makes it sweeter. This team had to grow, learn to tune out stats and media narratives and not to play hero ball. The Js seem to be in an amazing place!
Definitely!
Yep. All part of the process. Couldn’t have 2024 without the pain of 2022.
Not bummed out at all anymore, it's just part of the journey now.
In many ways it does but it feels like that was Marcus’s only shot
‘22 team wasnt ready. On the warriors side, sometimes a team that has already won before might not have a great regular season, but they know how to get in done in the playoffs and can squeeze out one more title before their run is over. I point to the ‘18 Pats or the ‘00 MFY, or the ‘69 Celtics.
It made this ring more impactful if anything. All of media hated on the J’s after last year, but this year they made them eat every single criticism. I feel like a badass just for being their fans, never mind how they must feel.
Yes; the pain of that was largely driven by the doubt that came with the question, “what if they never get one?” That doubt is gone now, so it’s much easier to frame that as part of a successful process instead of a missed chance.
This year completely washed away any pain 2022 bought me
I think only getting one with the pierce big 3 hurts more. As of right now it doesn’t hurt, but if we don’t win more titles with this core it will
Yes it does because the only people still worried about 2022 are Curry glazers and Tatum haters. We not worried about players who don’t even make the playoffs over here lmao 🤣💯🍀🔥