Former NBA point guard Gilbert Arenas took a jab at the Boston Celtics and its former All-Star, Paul Pierce, in a statement on his own podcast. Arneas labeled the 2008 championship Celtics team as forgettable and deemed the franchise irrelevant in reaction to Pierce’s prediction that the club would win their 18th title.
Arenas of the Celtics stated, “95% of the championships were won before Paul Pierce was even born.” “I’m not even sure whether anyone is still around to recall those earlier championship victories. Boston has not been significant in basketball history over the past thirty years. Because you guys had all the best players and were so dominant, your history was established from the very beginning. Where has Boston been in the last thirty years of basketball? After thirty years, you received one chip. Nobody remembers you when you walk around acting like this sh*t is on your chest.”
Gilbert’s statement holds some validity. The Celtics are tied for the most NBA titles ever won, however the majority were won between 1959 and 1969, and most of them occurred before 1986. The last Celtics team to win the championship was Paul Pierce’s group, and that was almost 16 years ago.
To Boston’s credit, not many teams in the last thirty years have been as successful as the Cs, even though there are plenty that haven’t won a championship. Boston has made numerous trips to the Finals and has advanced far in the playoffs, even if they haven’t yet reached the championship game.
Now that Tatum and Brown are in their prime, most people would concur that this is their best opportunity to win a championship since 2008, and their lead over the number one seed in the East is sufficient evidence that they are a dangerous team. But there are still residual questions about their ability to succeed following several unsuccessful playoff runs.
In 2024, will the Celtics succeed?
The Boson Celtics have been among the favorites to win for a number of years and have won a large number of games throughout the regular season. With Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown, Boston probably has the strongest five-man rotation in the NBA.
However, there are more questions than ever about their ability to seal the deal and win the championship following their embarrassing loss to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals last year.
With a record of 55-14 so far this season, the Celtics appear ready to finally silence the naysayers and establish their legitimacy as a title contender. They lead the top seed in the NBA by a massive 10.5 games and lead the whole basketball league by 6.5 games.
The Celtics, as usual, will only advance as far as Jayson Tatum can take them. Furthermore, he might never command the same level of respect as some of his contemporaries unless he can learn how to consistently play and win things for the Celtics in crucial situations.
The Celtics have run out of reasons for this season, and any outcome that falls short of a championship with their current roster will be seen as a complete failure. This must be the year everything works out for them, or else they risk severe embarrassment.