As the Boston Celtics celebrated their victory over the Indiana Pacers and their ticket to the NBA Finals, the team gathered about 60 staff members crowded into the visitors’ locker room inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse for a photo.
There were players, coaches, trainers, doctors, equipment managers, personal assistants, media relations people and front office staff. Even Al Horford’s son, Ean, showed some muscle in the shot.
But it’s pretty remarkable who wasn’t in the photo: Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens.
Returning to his native Indianapolis, Stevens quietly congratulated his players and staff and, with his son Brady at his side, slipped into the night with team ownership.
Stevens has done his best to avoid the spotlight lately, even after winning Executive of the Year for building a Boston team that has won 76 of 96 games played since the start of the regular season.
Stevens didn’t want a news conference after winning the peer-voted honor and did everything he could to stay focused on his players as the Celtics rolled through the Eastern Conference playoffs. Boston finished the 2023-24 season with a 53-13 record against all Eastern opponents.
The team is waiting to find out whether it will face Dallas or Minnesota in the NBA Finals. Two years after being denied the elusive Banner 18, the Celtics are back on the title scene. But it’s clear how different this team is – both with new personnel, but perhaps more importantly, with a different perspective.
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Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown remain the mainstays, but Stevens shook up the core of this team last offseason, bringing in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis in place of Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams III. Holiday, with his championship experience, played a key role in Boston’s acceleration eastward. Porzingis could be the X factor if the Celtics want to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy next month.
The maturation of Tatum and Brown, combined with the way the new pieces have adjusted and a heavy dose of Mr. Positive Derrick White, has fueled Boston’s dominance on the court.
“I have to give credit to Brad because he has an idea of what we have here in this locker room and how to put these pieces together,” Horford told us last month. “And knowing the type of characters (Porzingis and Holiday) have, the type of people they are.
“In our locker room, we have a great group of guys, guys that want to win and want to compete. Jayson and Jaylen, they just want to win. They want to enjoy this journey and they’ve been very accepting and welcoming. It’s why I feel like we managed to make it work.
The 2021-22 Celtics (and last season’s similar version, beyond the head coaching change) tended to fall into bad habits. These teams routinely made life more difficult than they needed to be.
This season’s team has operated with a business approach since its first meeting in October. Tatum and Brown returned to Boston early to set the tone for this season’s team and Stevens has assembled a roster filled with players simply aspiring to thrive in their roles.
Boston’s 2021-22 season was marked by a furious second half that culminated with two seven-game heavyweight battles against the Bucks and Heat in the Eastern playoffs. The Celtics looked out of gas against the Warriors in the Finals, as they were just minutes away from taking a 3-1 series lead.
Players have noted how this season seems much more methodical. This year’s team entered the season with a clear goal of a title, but set out on the journey to seize that opportunity.
“I felt like (2021-22) was much more of a rush or sprint kind of thing,” backup big Luke Kornet said. “
In short, Boston did not skip any steps. Even with this obvious end goal, the team kept their foot on the gas with only occasional slip-ups. Injuries and absences have rarely hindered this team.
Chris Forsberg reacts to the Celtics sweeping the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals and explains why Boston “showed him something” when it came to their ability to respond well late in games.
Still, it was shocking to see the Celtics brush aside a trio of East foes with just two missteps in Game 2 along the way. You might worry about the “tomato cans” they’ve encountered – we counter that’s part of the advantage of being the No. 1 seed – but if you step back, it might just be that the Celtics are so good. Recall that Boston navigated last month without the services of Porzingis, who sprained his calf in the first round against Miami.
Brown, fueled by the best back-and-forth season of his career, has been a monster in the playoffs and has the Larry Bird Trophy to prove it. Tatum, despite constant criticism of his overall effectiveness, has left his mark all over Boston’s playoff run. It really feels like both players have embraced the notion of sacrifice, both seemingly recognizing that only the banners will cement their legacy in Boston.
Holiday is a proven winner who consistently gives this team what it needs, especially over the last two rounds. White still has a knack for big shots (like the go-ahead 3-pointer against the Pacers in Game 4). This tandem will be tested regardless of Boston’s next opponent, but especially if the Mavericks advance with their 1-2 backcourt punch of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Al Horford will be 38 years old before the end of the finale. It’s clear how much this opportunity means to him. Despite all his success in the NBA, the Larry O’Brien Trophy is the one thing that has eluded the two-time college champion. Horford has been thrust into a bigger role as Porzingis has been sidelined for the last 10 games and he continues to play like someone a decade younger. Plus, how can anyone on this team not give maximum effort when Horford is emptying the tank?
In 2022, Ime Udoka, then coach, did not always have confidence in his bench. He relied heavily on a six-man core (Tatum, Brown, Horford, White, Smart and Williams III) and sprinkled only small touches of Grant Williams and Payton Pritchard. This year, Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Kornet each logged significant minutes. In the final round, Mazzulla went with Oshae Brissett and Xavier Tillman in the spots.
Poor Hauser can’t seem to knock anything down from beyond the 3-point arc lately and still owns a +15.6 net rating in the playoffs, best among regulars. Pritchard proved he’s the type to get hit in the face (like in Game 4 against Indiana) and keep fighting.
It feels like the Celtics are in a very good position, especially if Porzingis is healthy for the start of the Finals. But it failed in each of the last two seasons, which could have taught the Celtics what needed to change to get over the latest hump.
Stevens modified the list. The core has changed its mindset. We will soon know if the changes were enough to end the 16-year quest for Banner 18.
