Jayson Tatum has been living quite a charmed life as of late, first helping lead his Boston Celtics to their first NBA championship in 16 years in June, then signing a contract to become the highest paid player in NBA history with a new extension a few weeks later, and now hoping to help Team USA secure a gold medal at the upcoming Olympics in Paris. While the Celtics put together one of the most dominant regular and postseason runs we've seen in several years in 2023-24, there are still some things Tatum wishes could have gone slightly differently in their march to the championship.
One of those things, apparently, is the location in which Boston hoisted the Larry O'Brien trophy. Recently, while training for the Olympics with his Team USA teammates in Las Vegas, Tatum took the time to stop by JJ Redick's old “Old Man and the Three” podcast, guest hosted by WNBA legend Sue Bird, to break down why he wishes the team actually could have won the championship on the road in Dallas vs the Mavericks.
“I would have preferred to win on the road honestly,” said Tatum, via The Old Man and the Three on YouTube. “Just because I know what it felt like for somebody to win a championship on my home court, like I wanted to win in Dallas. Because I’ve seen the Warriors celebrate on our home court and that s—t was devastating.”
Indeed, Tatum and his teammates were subjected to an up close and personal view of Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors celebrating their championship on the TD Garden hardwood two years ago, a series from which the Celtics have clearly matured.
This year, the Celtics did indeed have a chance to clinch the title on the road vs the Mavericks, but the team was blown out in Game 4, marking their only loss of their series, and their first since game 2 of the second round vs the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Can the Celtics repeat?
If they stay healthy, then most likely yes. Health is already going to be a concern heading into 2024-25 with the fact that Kristaps Porzingis will reportedly be out for the start of the year with an injury sustained during the Finals. There's also the fact that the Celtics' 2024 playoff run featured historically fortunate injury luck for them as compared to their opponents, something unlikely to occur for a second year in a row, especially with Al Horford, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White all on the wrong side of 30.
However, Tatum and Brown are both now in the prime of their careers, with clear room to improve their respective games, which should be a scary prospect for the rest of the NBA. Brad Stevens understandably opted to bring back virtually the entire roster from this past season, and why wouldn't he? This 2023-24 team was one of the greatest of all time, and they have a chance to at least poke their head in the dynasty conversation with another win this season.
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