‘Celtics City' beyond the episode: The road to Banner 18
The series finale of Max's "Celtics City" covers a new era for the franchise led by superstars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
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‘Celtics City' beyond the episode: The road to Banner 18 originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Celtics came crashing back down to earth not long after their 2008 NBA championship.
Although they returned to the NBA Finals in 2010, then-president of basketball operations pivoted to a new era following his team’s series loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Before the 2013-14 season, he traded aging franchise cornerstones Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for a package including three first-round draft picks. Two of those picks turned into Jaylen Brown (2016) and Jayson Tatum (2017).
Brad Stevens was the Celtics’ head coach at the time, but after continuously failing to get Boston past the Eastern Conference Finals, he replaced Ainge as president of basketball operations in 2021. Stevens has shined in the role, making several shrewd moves as de facto general manager including a brilliant trade with the San Antonio Spurs for Derrick White at the 2022 deadline and deals for Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday ahead of the 2023-24 season. He also made the decision to have Joe Mazzulla replace Ime Udoka as head coach.
The rest is history. White, Porzingis, and Holiday instantly jelled with Tatum and Brown to form a juggernaut in the East. Mazzulla proved to be the perfect leader for the group, and it culminated in the Celtics raising Banner 18 into the TD Garden rafters.
More Celtics City ‘Beyond the Episode’
- Episode 1: “Founding Fathers”
- Episode 2: “No Final Victories”
- Episode 3: “All Swept Up”
- Episode 4: “Great Hope, Period”
- Episode 5: “F**k the Celtics”
- Episode 6: “Untenable Toll”
- Episode 7: “Not Again”
- Episode 8: “Ubuntu”
The road to Banner 18 is the subject of the “Celtics City” series finale, titled We’re the Celtics. Max’s nine-episode docuseries starts with the dynastic 1950s and 60s C’s and ends with the potential for a new dynasty in Boston.
Longtime NBA reporter Jackie MacMullan and NBC Sports Boston’s Michael Holley offered their thoughts on the series finale during “Keys to the City,” as seen in the video player above.
“I think Jaylen Brown was so articulate about not only the Celtics as a whole and the franchise as a whole and what it means, and the weight of carrying that expectation, which is a great thing and an onerous thing,” MacMullan said. “But just to list to his personal and professional growth, I thought he came to symbolize why the team did so well last year, the idea of everybody giving up for one another.”
While much of the episode focuses on the Jays, MacMullan identified Stevens as the mastermind behind the 2024 NBA champs.
“He’s just behind the scenes doing all the little things that made this work,” MacMullan said of Stevens. “The things he did for player empowerment within the organization, state of the art facilities, accomodations for families, all the little things that he thought would turn into big things, and created an environment that would be a winning environment.
“Showing Joe Mazzulla unwavering support when a lot of people were like, ‘This guy’s in over his head. Why did you pick this guy?’ He’s hit all the right notes.”
Check out NBC Sports Boston’s exclusive footage and interviews from the road to Banner 18 below:
A complete look back at the highlights of the Celtics’ 2024 playoff run to win their 18th NBA title.
A look at the duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and how they came together to win Banner 18. A video essay by Michael Holley.
After endless trade rumors surrounding the third pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, the Celtics held the pick and drafted Cal wing Jaylen Brown. Watch NBC Sports Boston’s coverage from that night with Kyle Draper, Brian Scalabrine, A. Sherrod Blakely, Mike Gorman, and Tom Heinsohn as they discuss the pick.
At the event at TD Garden, Wyc Grousbeck announced the pick and many fans famously booed. Brown, of course, has gone on to more than justify the selection for Boston, signing one of the richest contracts in NBA history and winning Conference Finals and NBA Finals MVP in 2024.
