Five years ago this week, Kyrie Irving publicly stated that he planned to re-sign with the . This proclamation was the exclamation point of a spotless five-year rebuild that began with trading Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce for a boatload of Brooklyn picks. No star player had ever given a verbal commitment to his incumbent team a year before hitting free agency, and this was a validation of everything the Celtics had been building.
The 2018-2019 Celtics were the overwhelming favorites to win the East, and their dynamic roster would surely dominate the conference for years to come.