“I’m going to go to war for this city,” Jaylen Brown said back in 2016 on Draft Night.
Even before playing a minute in green, before stepping foot on the parquet, before teaming up with Jayson Tatum, Brown committed himself to Boston. “I wear my heart on my sleeve and I’m going to leave it all on the floor every night…let’s build this bond.”
It’s a common analogy for head coach Joe Mazzulla — the game, the season, the playoffs as a battle, combat, warfare. And on the eve of another opportunity to win, the stakes are clear. To the victor go the spoils. However, what might not seem so obvious is not the fight in front of them, but the faithful many that stand behind.
“It’s definitely a blessing to be here to represent the Celtics, my family, the organization, the community, the greater community. It’s an honor I don’t take lightly, just to come out every night and play for something, for what I represent — I think that matters,” Brown said yesterday. “My relationship with Boston has grown. I’ve been here for almost nine years now, since I was 18, 19 years old, I’ve grown up. I’ve become a man here. Boston is special and I’m looking forward to Game 5.”
For NBA rookies, picking a side is more or less an arbitrary process and out of their hands. The league assigns you a city, but with all due respect, getting drafted by Milwaukee or Miami just isn’t the same as being enlisted by Boston or LA. It truly is #DifferentHere.
“When you come to the NBA, you think that every organization is the same. That couldn’t be further from the truth,” Jayson Tatum said of joining the Celtics. “I’ve been fortunate to be a part of something that is special, that has had some of the greatest players that have ever played wear this uniform. You realize early on that it’s an honor and it raises your level of commitment to this city and to this franchise.”
Tatum was drafted third in 2017 and immediately became a starter in a team with championship aspirations. Other members of his draft class haven’t been so lucky. Markelle Fultz flamed out in Philadelphia and is still putting the pieces back together in Orlando. Lonzo Ball surely felt honored that his hometown Lakers plucked him from UCLA, but he’s now a man without a country, having played in LA, New Orleans, and Chicago. Tatum, like Brown, has been with one team for his entire career.
“When you drive around or go to the gas station…I went to get some ice cream yesterday, it’s Celtics gear everywhere. Everybody is super excited about this team, what we’ve accomplished and what we have a chance to accomplish,” Tatum said. “You really just feel the love and support from everybody in the city of Boston and how bad they want us to win and how much they’ve been cheering for us. I don’t look at it as pressure, [it’s] just unconditional support. We have an amazing family here.”
Longevity and consistency grow roots and pride, a lesson that a more headstrong Kyrie Irving failed to understand during his brief two-year tour of duty with the Celtics. Boston wasn’t on his list of preferred destinations in 2017 and despite pledging his loyalty to the team and the city and vowing to return, he left in free agency for Brooklyn.
“They expect you to seamlessly buy into the Celtics’ pride, buy into everything Celtics, and if you don’t, then you’ll be outed. I’m one of the people that’s on the outs”
Kyrie Irving opens up about his time in Boston, and drops some interesting nuggets pic.twitter.com/NzJwG3iJ4O
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) June 16, 2024
“The community is integrated into this Celtics team. That’s probably the best way I can say it. The community is what makes the Celtics great here in Boston,” Irving said. “The pandemonium, that’s what makes this space so loud and so special and they take pride in it.”
For those that stay and build and develop that pride, the results speak for themselves. Brown and Tatum have been to five conference finals and now two NBA Finals and have another chance to raise Banner 18.
“This is an organization and a ball club that has wanted this for so long now that they’re ready for this moment more than anything,” Xavier Tillman Sr., the newest member of the team, said ahead of Game 5.
Today is the 16th anniversary of the Celtics’ Game 6 clincher over the Lakers in the 2008 Finals. It’s a date etched in the minds of fans like D-Day or Pearl Harbor. May we all heed this call to send. Once more unto the breach, my friends, once more.
Let’s go, Celtics!
