Twenty months ago, Stephen Curry nailed a three-point dagger in the closing minutes of Game 6 of the NBA Finals, putting his Warriors ahead by 15 with a little over three minutes remaining. As he jogged back down the court, he hit his signature “night-night” celebration, leaving the TD Garden crowd in stunned silence.
The victory marked the continuation of a dynasty as Curry and the Warriors secured their fourth championship in eight years on the TD Garden parquet. Since that moment, they have remained a mental obstacle for the Celtics, persisting for nearly two years.
When the Celtics fell to Golden State back in December, it was reminiscent of the Finals. The Celtics led by as many as 17 with under five minutes to go in the third quarter, entered the fourth quarter leading by 11, and led by seven with almost four minutes to go – and the Dubs stormed back to forced overtime.
Adding insult to injury, Curry delivered the decisive blow with a dagger three-pointer. His clutch shot sealed the game and reignited the infamous “night-night” celebration, a painful reminder of the end of Boston’s title hopes.
The term “statement win” is thrown around frequently. Yet, for the Celtics, Sunday afternoon’s 140-88 drubbing of the Warriors accurately fits that criteria. While they are certainly not the same Warriors team that popped champagne at TD Garden back in ’22, the Celtics finally exorcised those demons that had been haunting them for 20 moons.
Though now a shell of what they once were, as the supporting cast has significantly deteriorated, Draymond Green has lost a step approaching his mid-30s, and Klay Thompson navigates through one his worst seasons as a professional – the 52-point win served as a testament of how much the Celtics have grown and improved.
“They’re the best team in the league right now, and they played like it,” Curry said postgame. “They played their ass off, and it was tough to watch from the other side.”
By the numbers, the Celtics are in the same category as those mid-2000- early-2020 Golden State Warriors. After Sunday’s win, Boston improved its net rating this season to 11.6, matching that of Golden State’s during their 2016-17 finals winning season. Only 12 teams in NBA history have finished the season with a net rating north of 10.0. Eight of those teams went on to win the NBA finals, including the 2007-08 Celtics, who posted an 11.2.
Additionally, with the blowout win Sunday, the Celtics improved their average win margin to 11.4, the highest mark since the 2015-16 Warriors, the year they won their second NBA finals. A team that, much like the Celtics (Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis), had three players averaging at least 20 points per game – Curry, Durant, and Thompson.
Obviously, the Celtics still have a journey ahead to achieve the success the Warriors enjoyed during their dynasty. However, they’ve already caught the attention of some of the Warriors.
“The way they’ve been playing, they seem very sure of themselves and their identity and who they are,” Curry said. “It’s just mostly connecting both sides of the ball. They obviously play a physical style, and then they know how to space and what shots they’re trying to create. It seems like they have confidence, no matter who has the ball in their hands, so like I said, it’s an identity and confidence in how you play every night. You can feel it with certain teams, and certain teams don’t have it, and obviously, you don’t win 11 in a row by accident. They’re tough.”
What the Celtics have done this season resembles the dominant performances once exhibited by the Warriors. They have consistently overwhelmed their opponents, showcasing a level of dominance reminiscent of Golden State’s past.
Some of the stats are just silly.
The Celtics have won three games this season by 50 or more points, an NBA record. They have outscored opponents by 685 points (only two other teams are north of 300, meaning the Celtics are essentially doubling up the league), and they have been up by double-digits more often than they have trailed this season.
Simply wild stuff.
But for the Celtics, all that matters is Banner 18. All these outrageous numbers are great, yet they mean nothing if a banner isn’t hung in the rafters of TD Garden. An accomplishment Steve Kerr believes the Celtics are on the verge of.
“I mean, they’ve been on the brink for six, seven years. Great organization, always been really well-coached, continuity, they have everything that it takes,” Kerr said. “I think in this league, it always requires some luck to win a championship. Sometimes things break your way, sometimes they don’t, but the idea is to give yourself a chance as many times in a row as you can, and they’ve done a great job of that. I think it’s just a matter of time before they break through, and this is, I think, the best version that we’ve seen of this team.”
This opinion holds considerable weight, given Kerr’s remarkable track record of winning nine NBA championships – four as a coach and five as a player, contributing to two distinct dynasty runs.
Kerr recognizes the significance of the moves made by Brad Stevens and the Celtics’ front office in acquiring Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday during the offseason. These acquisitions have positioned Boston as one of the league’s strongest teams, potentially providing the final push needed for a championship.
“That’s two really high-level players added to what was already a great team,” Kerr said. “I think Jrue replaces a lot of Marcus Smart gave Boston defensively and [is] an additional ball handler and playmaker. Then, Kristaps changes everything just with his floor spacing and overall offensive game. So I mean, they’re they’re lethal.”
The Celtics’ championship window seems wide open. Wyc Grousbeck acknowledged back in October that he views this as a multiyear opportunity for the team, and it’s shaping up to be just that. While it’s tempting to look ahead when performing at such a high level, the Celtics remain rooted in their philosophy of focusing on winning each day, recognizing that their time for greatness is on the horizon.
Nevertheless, they understand the importance of staying humble and grounded amidst their success to ensure continued growth.
“It feels great, but at the same time, it’s always within humility. At any given point, that can be us, and we don’t take the game for granted,” Brown said. “We didn’t come out and mess around, and that’s just how we show our respect to the game. We handle business and take care of it, but we don’t do it arrogantly. We do it with humility. And it’s a lot of respect for the Golden State Warriors, but we feel like it’s our time now.”
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