The Boston Celtics are the 2024 NBA champions. They earned the organization’s 18th championship, which is the most in NBA history. To Celtic fans, the real silver lining here is that they broke the tie for most titles with the Lakers. Nevertheless, the Celtics’ storied history does have people wondering: Are the Celtics at the beginning of a run of extended dominance? In recent history, the likes of the Golden State Warriors, and on a lower scale, the Big 3 Miami Heat exhibited said dominance. The Warriors won four titles in seven years from 2015 to 2022. The Big Three Heat won two titles in four years from 2011 to 2014. However, the NBA landscape is a lot different now. League parity is strong, so how likely would another dynasty be?
Some may ask, why are the Celtics lauded as much as they have been? To answer that, I have to first let you know that in the 1960s, the Celtics won all but one championship in that decade. They went on to win two titles in the ’70s and three in the ’80s. For the majority of the NBA’s existence, the Celtics have been in the mix. And, sure, in the 1990s, they had some down years — every team is due for those. But 2008’s short Big 3 era reminded the masses of just what Celtic pride was about. It was the only Celtic championship I was alive for up until this week. I got the idea loud and clear.
During that time, the Celtics went to two NBA finals in three years against their rival Lakers. Over that period, they won one and the Lakers won the other series in seven games. But the core of that Celtic team was aging by 2010. A trade with the Brooklyn Nets changed everything as Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett was sent to away so the Celtics could start a rebuild.
That rebuild yielded the draft picks that would soon become finals MVP Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. That deal brokered in a new era of prominence for the Celtics, and it was clear that they didn’t want to endure another decade of being in obscurity. So, these days, it’s Tatum and Brown who are the core. The success of the franchise lies with them.
Then and still, many basketball fans are skeptical that this team can dominate the league like past dynasties have. I happen to feel that those sentiments have merit. You see, this playoff run was one of the more unique ones in league history. With so many injuries to the stars in the eastern conference, someone was going to luck up. I mean, no one factored that the Bucks would be without both Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Knicks were already without all-star Julius Randall and eventually Jalen Brunson. Jimmy Butler was dinged up, and the Indiana Pacers just weren’t talented enough to compete. So no, there’s no asterisk to the Celtics’ success, but I’d be remiss to not mention these factors.
It’s hard to be dynastic in this era of basketball. I think the NBA has the deepest talent pool that it ever has right now. As unstoppable as the Denver Nuggets seemed, even they couldn’t hang this postseason. I don’t think we saw the Celtics tested to the degree that we’ve seen other teams tested in the postseason. Next season will reveal whether or not the Celtics have what it takes to defend their crown. But with six different champions, in six consecutive seasons, I think it’s unlikely. You can’t take away their championship pedigree now. And, for what it’s worth, the Celtics will be in the mix for the foreseeable future. But I don’t see an era in the 2020s where we look back and say the Celtics ran it.
