The defending champion made a clear statement Boston Celtics into the new season of the North American professional basketball league NBA started: 132:109 per New York Knickswhich are considered compounds for the title. But there was more to celebrate.
Jayson Tatum takes a short break, takes a breath, because he knows that a very important sentence is coming. You don’t just say that casually. No, his teammates and, above all, himself would be judged with this statement during the entire 2024/25 NBA season: “Let’s do it again!”
It was before the game when Tatum, the captain of the Boston Celtics, said this sentence in the middle of the floor. More than 19,000 fans in the sold-out arena look forward to it. Spot on. “On behalf of the team: we couldn’t do it without you,” Tatum tells the fans first as he thanks them for their support in the fight for the 18th championship won this spring. “Let’s enjoy the moment,” he said before the short artistic break and his message for the new season. “Let’s do it again!”
Championship rings with 18 diamonds – one for each title
The words are exactly what every Celtics fan wants to hear on this night, in this moment. Four months ago, her team became champions for the first time since 2008. More than a million people celebrated in the parade through the city. However, two things of no real importance were still missing until yesterday evening. First, the rings. At the start, club co-owner Wyc Grousbeck presented each player, coach and members of the training staff with NBA championship rings. Custom made with 18 diamonds – one for each Celtics title.
And of course the flag. The team would soon have the white championship flag with the green inscription “Boston Celtics World Champions 2024” pull under the hall ceiling. And in the middle of the story, the captain is already talking about the next championship. The fans roar, cheer, scream. The mood is as greedy as if a bloody piece of meat had been held before the mouths of a pack of hungry lions.
Boston Celtics flag under the hall roof
Green and White Vacation in Boston
It is generally one holiday in Boston, this October 22nd. The yellows, reds and oranges of the trees are usually the dominant colors at this time of year. It is Indian Summer in Massachusetts. But this Tuesday the city is also seeing a lot of green and white – an unmistakable sign that a new Celtics season is starting. Thousands of fans came to the party on the front court of the town hall, where the opening game against the New York Knicks was shown on a big screen. Almost half a mile away, large crowds are already forming in front of the arena two hours before admission.
Boston Celtic fans celebrate their team as they parade through the city
Cedric Maxwell is also excited. He stands in the hall 75 minutes before the game starts and watches the Celtics warm up. “I’m looking forward to seeing if they can defend this title. I think they have the team to do it,” said the 68-year-old. He must know. Maxwell won championships with the Celtics in 1981 and 1984 and was also voted “Most Valuable Player” (MVP) of the 1981 finals series. His jersey number 31 hangs from the ceiling of the hall and is no longer given out by the club .
Pass the stick
Maxwell wears a gold colored suit, which is appropriate for the occasion. He is one of five club legends to bring the championship trophy into the arena before kick-off. The others: Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, who appear as “Big Three” they were the pillars of the 2008 championship team – and Bob Cousy. He was there when the Celtics became NBA Champions for the first time, in 1957. The former player is being pushed to the floor in a wheelchair. Cousy is now 96 years old, making him the oldest NBA champion. And he is the only person still alive who has experienced all 18 Celtics championships.
“Having Celtic legends here is like passing the baton,” Jaylen Brown said. He is the leader of the current team alongside Jayson Tatum. A team that has kept all the best performers from the previous season and has two superstars in their prime basketball age, Brown (27 years old) and Tatum (26).
Turn Tatum, Slam Dunk Brown
Brown was outstanding on June 17 in the fifth game of the last series against Dallas MavericksThe final point of the championship season in Boston was scored with a free throw, Tatum now scores the first points of the new season with a three pointer. The Celtics dominate the Knicks as they dominated Dallas in the spring. They lead 43:24 after the first quarter.
Tatum of the Boston Celtics
In the 19th minute, Brown runs alone towards the basket, takes off and slams the ball with both hands Slam Dunk through the ring into the net. When Derrick White successfully completed a jump shot, the Celtics had already broken the 100 point mark – after only 32 minutes. A show of force.
Ariel Hukporti makes his NBA debut
The Knicks lose the game and bring their bench players with them. Six minutes before the end, 22-year-old German Ariel Hukporti makes his NBA debut. “That was the beginning, I’m slowly entering the NBA,” he said in an interview with Sportschau. The atmosphere? “It was great, like in the playoffs – a great experience,” said the 2.13 meter tall man Centre.
In the last stage the fans sing “another third”. Boston had already scored from three pointers an incredible 29 times – the previous NBA record Milwaukee Bucks set. Another throw was successful and it was the only record holders. But that doesn’t happen anymore. It doesn’t matter. Boston won 132:109. They will be “in the hunt in every game of the season,” says Maxwell. And he also says: “If they stay healthy – we will raise the next championship banner under the ceiling of the hall in a year.”