BOSTON (AP) — It’s been six months since Celtics star Jayson Tatum stood at center court in Boston’s TD Garden and addressed fans minutes after receiving his 2024 championship ring and watching the franchise’s 18th banner raised into the rafters.
Tatum welled with emotion as he thanked fans for their support during the title run. He then paused and expressed one final desire.
“Let’s do it again,” he said.
That quest begins Sunday when Boston, the East’s second seed, opens its first-round playoff series against the seventh-seeded Orlando Magic.
No team has won back-to-back NBA championships since the Golden State Warriors last did it in 2016-17 and 2017-18.