Movie quote of the day:
“Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory lasts forever.”
— Shane Falco, “The Replacements” (2000)
Today’s post will be telling the story of how my Boston Celtics became NBA champions in the 2023-24 season. The inspiration for this actually came last year when it looked like my Boston Bruins could have the greatest season in NHL history. They got bounced in the first round of the playoffs, but I held on to the idea for future reference. I’ll keep it in mind for each of my favorite teams going forward, too. Think of this post as a written championship DVD.
As the title indicates, it’s a story of patience, along with having a long-term vision for a team and roster construction through the draft. It’s becoming rare to see that kind of patience and vision nowadays. Sports fans have become progressively impatient in recent years and have a “win now” mentality, and I think you see it the most in the NBA.
The NBA is arguably the only professional sports league where it’s rare to see teams construct rosters through the draft. It’s not because NBA teams don’t care, but more because the talent pool in the draft just isn’t that deep. A team isn’t able to assemble a championship-level roster through the draft unless it has the No. 1 overall pick every year during a three- to five-year stretch, which is highly unlikely to happen since the top 14 picks are determined by a lottery system. It can also take players years to develop into stars since many enter the league at just 19 years old.
This is why Boston’s decision in 2013 to hit the reset button and build through the draft took a lot of guts. It’s always risky to make that decision in any professional sports league. There’s zero guarantee that stockpiling draft picks and getting young talent will lead to anything meaningful, and that’s especially true in the NBA. The success rate of hitting on draft picks just isn’t that high. There are so many teams that have had lottery picks over the years and haven’t been able to assemble a championship-level roster. Even if I wasn’t a Celtics fan, I’d be amazed by what they were able to accomplish.
So, how exactly did it happen? Let me explain.
Backstory: The Pierce, Garnett, Allen era (2007-13)
I don’t know if you necessarily need to go this far back when telling this story. However, I’m not convinced that you can tell the story of how Boston won the NBA Finals in 2023-24 without bringing up the Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen era of the Celtics.
Boston had fallen on hard times after Hall of Famer Larry Bird retired in 1992. The Celtics had just six playoff appearances between 1992-2007, and never won more than 49 games in a single season during that stretch. Following a disastrous 24-58 season in 2006-07, Pierce voiced his frustration and even requested a trade unless the organization could acquire talented veterans. In the summer of 2007, executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge traded for Garnett and Allen. The trio had immediate success — posting a record of 66-16 and winning the NBA Finals against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in their first season together.
Injuries plagued Boston the following two seasons, but the team was able to make it back to the NBA Finals in 2010, before losing to Bryant and the Lakers in seven games. In the 2010-11 season, the Celtics got off to a great start (winning 41 of their first 55 games) before hitting a wall in February, when they sent starting center Kendrick Perkins to Oklahoma City for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstić at the trade deadline. The Pierce, Garnett, and Allen trio never had the same success again after trading Perkins. The Celtics went on to win just 15 of their last 27 games of that regular season and lost to LeBron James and Miami in five games in the second round of the postseason.
The 2011-12 season was shortened due to a lockout. Boston won just 39 of 66 games that year and lost to James and the Heat (again) in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Allen left the Celtics and joined Miami that offseason, ending the trio with just one championship to show for it. Boston tried to stay competitive for the 2012-13 season by signing veteran Jason Terry to replace Allen. However, after winning just 41 games and losing in the first round of the postseason to New York, it was clear that changes were coming that offseason.
A new era (2013-18)
The 2013 offseason brought a lot of change and was the beginning of a new era for the Celtics. A month after Boston was eliminated by the Knicks in the postseason, the team allowed head coach Doc Rivers out of his contract and traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for an unprotected first-round pick in 2015.
A month after the Celtics traded Rivers, they hired Brad Stevens to be their next head coach. Stevens came from the college level, where he led Butler to five NCAA tournament appearances in six seasons including back-to-back appearances in the national championship. This move signified to the rest of the NBA that a rebuild was coming in Boston.
Of course, the move that the Celtics made in the 2013 offseason that everyone remembers came the next month. On July 12, they traded Pierce, Garnett, Terry, and D.J. White to Brooklyn in exchange for Keith Bogans, MarShon Brooks, Kris Joseph, Kris Humphries, and Gerald Wallace, along with first-round picks in 2014, 2016, 2018, and an option to swap picks in 2017. That blockbuster trade with the Nets is what helped Boston lay the foundation for it to assemble a championship-level roster.
| Celtics received: | Clippers received: |
| 2015 first-round pick (R.J. Hunter) | Doc Rivers |
| Celtics received: | Nets received: |
| Keith Bogans | Paul Pierce |
| MarShon Brooks | Kevin Garnett |
| Kris Humphries | Jason Terry |
| Kris Joseph | D.J. White |
| Gerald Wallace | 2017 second-round pick (Sasha Vezenkov) |
| 2014 first-round pick (James Young) | |
| 2016 first-round pick (Jaylen Brown) | |
| 2017 first-round pick swap (Jayson Tatum) | |
| 2018 first-round pick (Kyrie Irving) |
The 2013-14 season went about the way that everyone thought it would for the Celtics, especially when you consider that four-time All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo missed 52 games. Boston finished with a record of 25-57 — its worst season since 2006-07. In the offseason, the Celtics drafted Marcus Smart, who becomes a major piece, with the No. 6 overall pick.
Boston improved remarkably during the 2014-15 season — improving its win total by 15 games to finish with a record of 40-42. The Celtics even made an appearance in the postseason before getting swept by James and Cleveland, with three of the four games decided by fewer than 10 points.
Boston also made three key trades in the middle of the season. On Dec. 18, the Celtics traded Rondo and Dwight Powell to Dallas in exchange for Jameer Nelson (flipped to Denver), Jae Crowder, and Brandan Wright (flipped to Phoenix), along with a 2015 protected first-round pick and 2016 second-round pick. On Jan. 12, Boston traded Green in a three-team trade with Memphis and New Orleans in exchange for Tayshaun Prince (flipped to Detroit), Austin Rivers (flipped to the Clippers), and a 2020 first-round pick, which becomes important later on. On Feb. 19, the Celtics acquired Isaiah Thomas from Phoenix in exchange for Marcus Thornton and a 2016 first-round pick.
| Celtics received: | Mavericks received: |
| Jameer Nelson (flipped to Denver) | Rajon Rondo |
| Jae Crowder | Dwight Powell |
| Brandan Wright (flipped to Phoenix) | |
| 2015 protected first-round pick (Dallas retained) | |
| 2016 second-round pick (Demetrius Jackson) |
| Celtics received: | Grizzlies received: | Pelicans received: |
| Austin Rivers (from New Orleans; flipped to the Clippers) | Jeff Green (from Boston) | Quincy Pondexter (from Memphis) |
| Tayshaun Prince (from Memphis; flipped to Detroit) | Russ Smith (from New Orleans) | 2015 second-round pick (from Memphis; Branden Dawson) |
| 2020 first-round pick (from Memphis; Aaron Nesmith) |
| Celtics received: | Suns received: |
| Isaiah Thomas | Marcus Thornton |
| 2016 first-round pick (Skal Labissière) |
The 2015-16 season is when the tide started to turn in Boston’s rebuild, and when it began to reap the benefits of the trade with Brooklyn from 2013. In the offseason, the Celtics drafted Terry Rozier, who becomes a major piece, with the No. 16 overall pick. Meanwhile, the Nets regressed quickly. Garnett signed with Minnesota, Derron Williams signed with Dallas, and the team moved on from Joe Johnson in the middle of the regular season. All those moves occurred the year after Pierce left the team to sign with Washington.
Boston continued to overachieve during the regular season, finishing with 48 wins and making another postseason appearance. Brooklyn finished with a record of 21-61 and ended up with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, which the Celtics owned. They used that pick on Jaylen Brown, who develops into one of the centerpieces of Boston’s roster, the following offseason. The Celtics also signed four-time All-Star forward Al Horford during free agency.
It was more of the same during the 2016-17 season. Boston improved on its win total again, finishing with a record of 53-29 before losing to James and the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Meanwhile, the Nets finished with the worst record in the NBA (20-62) and ended up with the No. 1 overall pick, which went to the Celtics because they had the right to swap first-round picks.
However, leading up to the draft, Ainge made another bold decision by trading out of the No. 1 overall pick. On June 19, Boston acquired the No. 3 overall pick from Philadelphia (via Sacramento) and a future first-round pick, which becomes important. Who did the Celtics draft with the No. 3 overall pick from the 76ers? None other than Jayson Tatum, who also develops into one of the centerpieces of Boston’s roster.
The offseason acquisitions didn’t stop there, though. The Celtics signed All-Star forward Gordon Hayward as a free agent. They also acquired Marcus Morris and four-time All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving via trades, giving up Thomas, Crowder, Ante Žižić, and the last remaining first-round pick from the trade with Brooklyn in order to get Irving.
| Celtics received: | 76ers received: |
| No. 3 overall pick (Jayson Tatum) | No. 1 overall pick (from Brooklyn; Markelle Fultz) |
| Conditional first-round pick (Romeo Langford) |
| Celtics received: | Cavaliers received: |
| Kyrie Irving | Isaiah Thomas |
| Jae Crowder | |
| Ante Žižić | |
| 2018 first-round pick (from Brooklyn; Collin Sexton) | |
| 2020 second-round pick (flipped to Atlanta via Sacramento) |
Even though Boston was deemed as one of the contenders in the Eastern Conference heading into the 2017-18 regular season, things didn’t go as planned. On Opening Night, the Celtics lost Hayward for the season due to a fractured tibia and dislocated ankle. Irving was also lost for the season after undergoing a procedure to remove some tension wire in his knee.
Despite injuries to two of its better players, Boston still had success. The Celtics improved on their win total for a fifth-straight season, finishing with a record of 55-27. Boston made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, and even had a 3-2 lead in the series, before being knocked out by James and Cleveland (again).
The players that the Celtics drafted over the previous few years (Smart, Rozier, Brown, and Tatum) showed promise and almost put them in the NBA Finals in 2018. Despite losing to James and the Cavaliers, the future couldn’t have looked brighter in Boston.
Stagnation (2018-21)
The 2018 offseason got off to a pretty good start when Boston drafted Robert Williams III, who becomes a major piece. The 2018-19 season was disappointing, though. The Celtics finished with a record of 49-33 — the first time that they didn’t improve their win total since the 2013-14 season. Boston went on to lose to Giannis Antetokounmpo and an ascending Milwaukee team in the second round of the playoffs.
The offseason brought change to the Celtics, too. Irving signed with the Nets and Horford signed with the 76ers during free agency. Boston replaced Irving by acquiring three-time All-Star point guard Kemba Walker in a sign-and-trade deal with Charlotte in exchange for Rozier and a 2020 second-round pick. The Celtics also drafted Romeo Langford, who becomes a major piece, with the first-round pick they acquired from Philadelphia back in 2017.
| Celtics received: | Hornets received: |
| Kemba Walker | Terry Rozier |
| 2020 second-round pick (Yam Madar) | 2020 second-round pick (Grant Riller) |
Boston was a better team in the 2019-20 season. The Celtics won 43 of their first 64 games before the season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. The regular season resumed in late July, with the 22 teams that still had a mathematical chance to make the postseason playing eight games, and the entire playoffs, in “The Bubble.” Boston finished 5-3 in those games, finishing with a record of 48-24 and clinching the No. 3 seed in the East.
After sweeping the 76ers and knocking off No. 2-seeded Toronto, and the top-seeded Bucks getting eliminated in the second round, it looked like the Celtics would get to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010. However, they lost to fifth-seeded Miami in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Lakers, with James, went on to win their 17th championship in franchise history, which tied Boston for the most in the NBA. You could argue that tension was building at this point.
During the 2020 offseason, the Celtics drafted Aaron Nesmith, who becomes a major piece, with the extra first-round pick that they received from Memphis back in 2015. They also drafted Payton Pritchard, who becomes another major piece, with the No. 26 overall pick. Boston made more changes to its roster, too, by sending Hayward to Charlotte in a sign-and-trade deal in exchange for second-round picks.
The shortened 2020-21 season was the worst that the Celtics had since the 2013-14 season. Boston finished with a record of just 36-36 and snuck into the postseason anyway after beating the Wizards in the play-in Tournament. However, the Celtics lost to the Nets in five games in the first round, which was the first time they didn’t win a playoff series since 2016.
At this point, it felt like Boston was trending in the wrong direction. It’d been three consecutive seasons that the Celtics didn’t improve their win total. It even seemed like they’d been passed over in the East by teams like Milwaukee, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia. Not to mention that the Western Conference was only getting deeper. It was the first time that people, myself included, thought that Boston’s championship window had closed.
Organizational changes, “The Jays” era finally takes off (2021-23)
The 2021 offseason brought a new era to the Celtics. Ainge retired from the front office and Stevens replaced him as president of basketball operations. For the first time since 2013, Boston was looking for a new head coach. On June 28, the Celtics hired Ime Udoka, who previously served as an assistant coach with the Nets.
Stevens made five trades before the start of the 2021-22 season, but none were more important than re-acquiring Horford from the Thunder in exchange for Walker, a 2021 first-round pick, and 2025 second-round picks. Trading Walker opened up a need for point guard, which becomes important later on.
| Celtics received: | Thunder received: |
| Al Horford | Kemba Walker |
| Moses Brown | 2021 first-round pick (Alperen Şengün) |
| 2023 second-round pick (flipped to Charlotte via New York) | 2025 second-round picks |
The beginning of the 2021-22 season didn’t bode well for Boston, though. The Celtics lost 21 of their first 39 games. Things didn’t begin to turn around until January. Boston won nine of its last 13 games that month, along with its first four games in February. The Celtics were six games above .500 at that point and things were finally trending in the right direction.
Stevens kept the momentum going by making a big splash at the trade deadline by acquiring Derrick White. Boston was able to get him from San Antonio in exchange for Langford, Josh Richardson, a 2022 first-round pick, and the right to swap first-round picks in 2028. The need for a point guard was finally filled as the season was beginning to wind down.
| Celtics received: | Spurs received: |
| Derrick White | Romeo Langford |
| Josh Richardson | |
| 2022 first-round pick (Blake Wesley) | |
| 2028 first-round pick swap |
The Celtics continued to play well after the addition of White. They won 20 of their last 26 games to end the regular season, clinching the No. 2 seed in the East. Boston swept Brooklyn — the team that sent it home the previous year — in the first round of the postseason. In the second round, the Celtics had to face the Bucks, who were the defending champions. Despite facing a 3-2 deficit in the series, Boston rallied to win the series and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. It was a battle against the Heat in that series, but the Celtics emerged victorious in seven games.
For the first time since 2010, and the first time with the duo of Brown and Tatum, Boston went back to the NBA Finals. However, things didn’t go its way. The Celtics fell to Steph Curry and Golden State in six games, despite holding a 2-1 lead at one point in the series. Even though it wasn’t the result Boston wanted, it was clear that the team entered another championship window.
The Celtics had a busy 2022 offseason. They acquired Malcolm Brogdon from Indiana in exchange for Nesmith, Daniel Theis, Nik Stauskas, Malik Fitts, Juwan Morgan, and a 2023 first-round pick. Boston also signed Danilo Gallinari and Blake Griffin as free agents. However, just a few weeks before the start of the season, the team suspended Udoka for violating the team’s code of conduct and named assistant coach Joe Mazzulla as interim head coach. It wasn’t the news the team wanted coming off an appearance in the NBA Finals.
| Celtics received: | Pacers received: |
| Malcolm Brogdon | Aaron Nesmith |
| Daniel Theis | |
| Nik Stauskas | |
| Malik Fitts | |
| Juwan Morgan | |
| 2023 first-round pick (Julian Strawther) |
The Celtics still managed to have success during the 2022-23 season. They won 42 of their first 59 games, and Mazzulla was named the permanent head coach on Feb. 16. Boston continued to play well, finishing with a record of 57-25 and clinching the No. 2 seed in the East. However, once the postseason started, the Celtics couldn’t find the same success they had in the regular season.
Boston struggled to beat Atlanta and Philadelphia in the first two rounds of the postseason, with both series going at least six games. The Celtics also struggled on the defensive end of the court — allowing 108.3 points per game in both series. Their struggles continued in the Eastern Conference Finals, where they fell to Jimmy Butler and the Heat in seven games after battling back from a 3-0 deficit in the series. It was now unclear if Boston had the right players in the locker room and the right head coach to get over the hump in the playoffs. The pundits were even chirping that it was time to split up the Brown and Tatum duo.
Banner No. 18 (2023-24)
The Celtics had another busy offseason in 2023, making some additions to their coaching staff and two key trades. On June 22, they traded Smart in a three-team trade with Memphis and Washington in exchange for Kristaps Porziņģis and two first-round picks. On Oct. 1, Boston traded Brogdon, Robert Williams III, the 2024 first-round pick acquired from Memphis, and a 2029 first-round pick in exchange for Jrue Holiday.
After the additions of Porziņģis and Holiday, the Celtics arguably had the best roster in the NBA on paper. It all came down to health and if the players would gel together.
| Celtics received: | Grizzlies received: | Wizards received: |
| Kristaps Porziņģis (from Washington) | Marcus Smart (from Boston) | Tyus Jones (from Memphis) |
| 2023 first-round draft pick (from Memphis; flipped to Detroit) | Danilo Gallinari (from Boston) | |
| 2024 first-round draft pick (from Memphis) | Mike Muscala (from Boston) | |
| 2023 second-round pick (from Boston; Trayce Jackson-Davis) |
| Celtics received: | Trail Blazers received: |
| Jrue Holiday | Malcolm Brogdon |
| Robert Williams III | |
| 2024 first-round pick (from Memphis) | |
| 2029 first-round pick |
Not only did the talent on Boston’s roster gel together, but it had an incredible regular season. The Celtics finished with a record of 64-18, posting a point differential of 11.4 points (the fifth best mark in NBA history), and clinching home-court advantage in the East. Boston didn’t have much trouble getting through the East, winning its first three postseason series in five games or fewer and outscoring opponents by an average of 10 points. After sweeping Indiana in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics punched their ticket to the NBA Finals for a second time in three seasons.
Dallas, one of the hottest teams in the league, was the team to come out of the West. The Mavericks won 36 of their last 50 games, including the postseason. Luka Dončić was one of hottest players in the game entering The Finals — averaging 30.5 points per game in his last 47 games. Dallas was even getting solid production from young role players like P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, and Dereck Lively II. Lastly, the Celtics were going up against a former teammate in Irving.
It looked like Boston was going to have its hands full in The Finals. Many pundits actually picked the Mavericks to win the series, even though the Celtics were heavy favorites (-220) according to Vegas. When Porziņģis was cleared to play after sustaining an injury earlier in the postseason, it was officially on.
Boston set the tone in Game 1 of the series, winning by 18 points after having a 29-point lead in the first half. The Celtics didn’t get off to as fast of a start in Game 2, but they battled after taking the Mavericks’ best shot early in the game. Boston took control in the second half to win by seven points and take a 2-0 lead in the series. The Celtics took care of business on their home court as the teams traveled to Dallas.
Like in Game 2, Boston got off to a slow start, falling behind by as many as 13 points in the first quarter. Nobody panicked, though. The Celtics ended up outscoring Dallas by 20 points the rest of the way, holding it to under 100 points again, to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series. Boston was on the verge of being just the fourth team to win The Finals in a sweep since 2000. However, it wasn’t meant to be. The Mavericks bounced back in a big way in Game 4, winning by 38 points, to stay alive in the series. Both teams were heading back to Boston.
Game 5 of the series was on June 17, which was the same date that the Pierce, Garnett, and Allen trio won the NBA Finals back in 2008. The Celtics would be champions on that date once again. They took control of Game 5 in the second quarter, taking a 21-point lead right before halftime. Boston never looked back and even had a 26-point lead late in the fourth quarter. Dallas finally waved the white flag with a little over two minutes left to play when it took Dončić and Irving out of the game.
The celebration began in that moment. The Celtics were NBA champions for the first time in 16 years and had secured their 18th championship in franchise history. Even though Brown won Finals MVP, it was a team effort by Boston in order to win it all in 2023-24. The Celtics had three different players lead them in scoring in The Finals. That’s just the eighth time that’s happened by the winning team in the last 20 years, and just the fourth time in the last decade.
Legacy
Boston’s journey to win the NBA Finals in the 2023-24 season began when Ainge decided to strip down the team in 2013. It’s remarkable how the Celtics were able to assemble the team they had this past season. Seven of the top eight players in Boston’s rotation were acquired either through the draft or via trade because of decisions that the organization made between 2013-20.
During that stretch, Boston made a total of 25 trades and had 26 draft picks. Everyone knows that two of those picks were used to draft Brown and Tatum, who are now the best players on the roster. One of those picks was also used on Pritchard, who’s one of the team’s key players off the bench. However, it goes much deeper than that.
There were other players that Boston drafted between 2013-20 that turned out to be useful, even if they weren’t on the 2023-24 roster. Without Smart, the Celtics don’t get Porziņģis. Without Langford, they don’t get White. Without Nesmith, they don’t get Brogdon. Without Brogdon and Robert Williams III, they don’t get Holiday. Even the trades for Thomas and Crowder in 2015 had a domino effect. They were both used to acquire Irving, who created a need for a point guard when he left Boston in 2019. That forced the Celtics to use Rozier to acquire Walker, who was later used to acquire Horford. That move opened up the need for another point guard, which led to getting White.
All of those roster moves can be traced back to Ainge’s decision to enter a rebuild in 2013, which was a huge gamble. However, Boston proved that it’s possible to win a championship by stockpiling picks and building through the draft if you’re willing to be patient. I’d say that I’m curious to see what kind of impact that that has on other front offices around the league, but we’re already seeing it in Oklahoma City. The Thunder have had 13 draft picks over the last three years, and potentially have as many as 34 more to come over the next seven years. Yes, you’re reading that correctly.
The NBA is in the middle of transitioning out of the James, Curry, Kevin Durant era. That might explain why we’ve had a different champion each of the last six seasons. The Celtics might’ve just caught the league at the right time in order to win it all. However, with Brown, Tatum, Holiday, and Porziņģis each locked up contractually over the next two years, it’s not impossible that Boston becomes the NBA’s next dynasty. If that happens, it’ll still be traced back to the 2013 offseason and the decisions that were made in the years that followed.
All Things Sports from a Millennial 