During Ring Night, where the Boston Celtics celebrated their 2023-24 NBA championship with the fans ahead of their regular season opener against the New York Knicks, Jayson Tatum spoke to fans and issued a title defense prediction for the upcoming season.

“Let's do it again!”

Back-to-back title winners have become relatively common in the NBA. The Golden State Warriors won it all in back-to-back seasons in 2017 and 2018, as did the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013 and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010.

Potential Celtics' title run will be tougher in 2024-25

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) talks to the crowd after presented with a championship ring during the opening night banner raising ceremony before the start of the game against the New York Knicks at TD Garden
© David Butler II-Imagn Images

While the Oklahoma City Thunder are the trendy pick to win it all, a more competitive Eastern Conference poses the steepest challenge to the Celtics' title defense. Last year, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo ended the regular season injured and wasn't available in the playoffs. Joel Embiid also missed a significant amount of time due to a meniscus tear.

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There were plenty of narratives that said the Celtics didn't face the NBA's best but every championship team has asterisks. People are still talking about how the referees robbed the 2002 Sacramento Kings while the Los Angeles Lakers went on to win another championship. Or what about how “Jordan pushed off” Byron Rusell in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals?

Ultimately, the players write their own histories while the media and fans can only react to it. Jayson Tatum is control of his own life and seems to be enjoying the fruits of being a member of the Boston Celtics.

“I was drafted in 2017 … My son was born [in Boston]. I bought my first car here,” Tatum recalled. “And for me, I admire and love the relationships I’ve built within the organization, all the coaches that I’ve had, obviously, the front office, security guards, trainers, chefs, the fans, the people that work at the Garden, the ball boys that do our laundry. The relationships I’ve built over the last seven, eight years, I can’t imagine starting over and leaving them or this place.”

“There are a bunch of 10-year-olds in Boston who will feel like I’m a part of their childhood,” he said. “‘I grew up watching him play at the Garden. I grew up watching him win championships.’ In a sports town like Boston, that’s special to be a part of.”

The Boston Celtics recently announced they were renaming the North Washington Street Bridge to honor Bill Russell, changing its name to the William Felton ‘Bill' Russell Bridge. Our legacies and accomplishments live on longer than the temporary controversies.