THE BEST TEAM WON! 🔊 – Stephen A. on the Celtics closing out the Mavericks in Game 5 | NBA Countdown

THE BEST TEAM WON! 🔊 – Stephen A. on the Celtics closing out the Mavericks in Game 5 | NBA Countdown

moments ago we witnessed history on the anniversary of their 2008 title the city of Champions can call themselves the winningest franchise in basketball after so much heartache for this group and seven seasons together Jason Tatum Jaylen Brown These Celtics they are champions alongside Stephen A Smith Bob Myers Julius Randall I’m Malika Andrews and I Turn to You our Hall of Famer our resident historian Michael wil just means I’m old Mal that you have been in this building and seen four of the 18 titles that the Boston Celtics have now won so can you put into context this group’s place in NBA history yeah I literally just thinking about that having sat through some of those other series and and those great Champions and you know what when when those teams some of the greatest teams of all time particularly the 86 Celtics which we celebrated with the late Bill Walton’s passing just a couple of weeks ago with bird and Parish and male and Dennis Johnson and Danny it was a topheavy league and Bob stop me if you disagree it was a topheavy league then this team’s greatness is a little different as we look forward because there’s so many great players and I believe more great teams see this is the challenge I I know Stephen A and I disagreed earlier it’s a great conversation to have about whether we think they can go on a run of championships and I’m like okay they’re great but Denver where they going Oklahoma City they going anywhere Dallas are they leaving you know I mean there’s some teams you know if the Knicks stay healthy I mean I’m just going to suppose suppose the 76 was wind up with all Paul George going forward Minesota like you didn’t have that many teams that were a serious threat when some of those Celtics teams won even though they were my goodness don’t I am not a prisoner of the moment I am not sit here and declare that this team is better than the 86 Boston Celtics or some of the Russell teams that I was a tiny tiny little kid to see but you know what it’s like a battle royale and they had to battle a whole lot of people in the ring to get through it and so I think as we go forward Malika and we see them try to defend this next year think of all the people Julius they’re going to have to fight off including you guys just up the road there’s a lot there more there’s so many great players and so many really serious contenders in the league now I believe more than ever but this feels like Bob and you can speak to this more than I can you you built a four-time champion Juggernaut in the Golden State Warriors this team as Doris Burke touched on just a few moments ago feels like the model of what teams need to be now you give them time and they are able to achieve this well they weren’t about at a long road Malik they took a long road a lot of Eastern Conference Finals a lot of heartbreak heartbreak at 22 and you love seeing perseverance rewarded you love seeing allowing for that time we’re a pretty impatient Society um ownership Brad Stevens Joe Missoula they went through a coaching change they went through some big trades I mean a lot of people thought when they traded Marcus Smart that wasn’t a good idea and they ended up with Drew holiday porzingis getting Derek white when they did um but that’s what it takes to win a championship you got you got to press all the right button and you know it’s it’s listening to you act poetic I guess in in this city it’s a big deal right it’s a huge deal they are now the 18th it’s their 18th Banner they lead everybody um but this team if if you’re going to pick a team it’s a great this is a great Celtics team I don’t know what you know as far as who they would beat but they did it the whole year and that’s where you want you you you willingly say you guys earned it you deserve it and they got it and they did it in emphatic fashion they did it in emphatic fashion and deserve their Kudos at the beginning of the last season training camp actually all of us was talking about the sou going winning Championship we jumped off the bandwagon because we saw the way that Kyrie and Luca was flowing not recognizing the fact that Boston had sides at every position we picked I know I picked the mad because I didn’t think porzingis would be available but that’s neither here nor there here’s the bottom line the best team won the best team all season long has won so when wil Bond asked the question where are these other teams going well damn it home that’s where they went okay Minnesota went home OKC went home Dallas just got sent home Indiana went home now my Knicks were injury played but they still went home so we got to look at Boston and here’s where you got to pay attention to them the youth that they have on their side in Tatum and brown what’s spectacular about that is that Tatum Tatum was in his fifth Conference Finals Brown was in his sixth Conference Finals this is their second time in the NBA Finals it’s not like they’re at the party for the first time they were knocking on the door knocking on the door knocking on the door for years and the fact that you now kicked down the door and you still have that youth at your disposal with your greatness there is no reason why to look at the Boston Celtics and we can’t sit up there and say oh we expect a couple of more titles from them before all is said and done yeah well Stephen I’m not going to sit here and say I expect a couple more titles you’re not supposed to I’m still I’m still playing but uh yeah I mean like I said credit to them like from the very beginning end of the season uh like you said they were picked to be favorites and they came in and they got the job done like I don’t care who you say they had to go through who they had to play Mike like you said the the league is way more balanced and everybody has a shot and they came in from the very beginning of the season on a mission they got the job done so you got to give them credit uh next year hopefully we can stop that and I just I think they deserve more credit because of the league being what it is sure so Stephen A for to for all those teams to go home and them to still be standing is more impressive than just beating two or three teams in the top heavy time think it speaks to which is why I can’t expect them to do it again but hopefully not stop I think what’s impressive is Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown are going to get better they’re not getting worse they’re going to get better and so that’s where if you think they can make a run yep how they hor for some of these other guys I don’t know but those guys are going to get better this is the best part of our jobs watching these moments the best players in the world on behalf of our entire NBA Countdown through thank you [Music]

THE BEST TEAM WON! 🔊 – Stephen A. on the Celtics closing out the Mavericks in Game 5 | NBA Countdown
Stephen A. Smith, Michael Wilbon, Bob Myers and New York Knicks PF Julius Randle join Malika Andrews on NBA Countdown to react to Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Finals where the Boston Celtics secured their 18th championship with a win over the Dallas Mavericks.
#ESPN #NBA

✔️ Subscribe to ESPN+ http://espnplus.com/youtube
✔️ Get the ESPN App: http://www.espn.com/espn/apps/espn
✔️ Subscribe to ESPN on YouTube: http://es.pn/SUBSCRIBEtoYOUTUBE
✔️ Subscribe to NBA on ESPN on YouTube: http://bit.ly/SUBSCRIBEtoNBAonESPN
✔️ Watch ESPN on YouTube TV: http://es.pn/YouTubeTV