The Celtics finally clinched Banner 18 on their home floor, and they won it all through something truly rare for the NBA: a top-to-bottom team clinic.
Even Payton Pritchard turned his four seconds of playing time in the first half into a highlight worthy of bar banter decades from now.
It’s easy to imagine Brad Stevens dreaming up a championship-clincher like this last summer: Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown leading and commanding the offense, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday suffocating the opponents’ transition game, and Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis both playing in the post and stretching the floor. Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard would continue rounding out depth in scoring deep from the bench (literally, in Pritchard’s case).
It looks obvious now, but Stevens’ moves last year did represent risk at the time. The Celtics were just a year removed from the NBA Finals and one game away from returning. Marcus Smart was the longest-tenured Celtic and Robert Williams III was considered a special talent on defense. Trading both away was a seismic change for a team that had such recent success and was so close to a championship.
Even before last summer, throughout his short time in the front office, Stevens has struck a special balance between stability and risk. He’s resisted attempts to split up a young duo that looked – at times – redundant and reluctant to take the reigns of the team. He saw growing pains for what they were and brought back a trusted veteran in Al Horford. He found an underdeveloped talent in San Antonio and continued to trust him through two seasons (here’s a quick plea to pay Derrick White!)
The result was the best roster the league has seen since the dynastic Golden State Warriors.
The Game 5 dominance was all the more satisfying because of the ass kicking they got in Game 4, dropping what could have been a sweep by a whopping 38 points. But as Walt Whitman once wrote (bear with the writer here who feels a great moment deserves better words than her own), “the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.” It took the entire team to get to the champions’ stage last night.
The verses: Tatum’s 31 points and 11 assists, and Jaylen Brown’s 21 and six. Al Horford’s three 3s, and Derrick White’s two steals and a block. Jrue Holiday’s motor all over the floor. Porzingis toughing out a rare injury to stare down his former team. Little Payton Pritchard heaving a 48-foot shot as the backboard glowed red around the edges.
But what we’ll remember: how Tatum shuddered sobs in the final minute of the win, and threw his son into the air in victory as green and white confetti rained down from the ceiling. We won’t forget Derrick White grinning widely with his newly chipped tooth. And we’ll remember how Jaylen Brown covered his face in disbelief as Adam Silver announced his name for the Finals MVP trophy, then called out and embraced Tatum immediately after accepting the trophy. That guy usually doesn’t “win shit.”
And the chorus at the end of the night from the stands, mocking anyone who doubted this lineup, as the Bee Gees blasted through the speakers:
“We want Boston.”