Rich Eisen: Where This Season’s Celtics Rank Among NBA’s All-Time Great Championship Teams
let’s talk about the Boston Celtics winning it all you have to make this case for this Boston Celtics team you have to make this case that they are up there now with what they did this year they are up there in the rarified air of many of the Boston Celtics championship teams there’s now 18 banners there’s now 18 Celtics banners that is you know the most in in NBA history in association history but it’s only did you know it’s only the SE I looked this up did you know it’s it’s this it’s my old sports center did did you know did you know that of the 18 banners the Celtics have now won and brought home to the Celtics fan base only the seventh there’s only seven of them where they won no they won 60 times in the regular season a 60 win regular season team and then won the finals only seven of the 18 Banners are a 60 win regular season team and hung the banner and in terms of that the last team to win 60 wins during a regular season and only lose three times in the playoffs was the 1985 86 Celtics team that won 67 times in the regular season and and went 15 and3 in the playoffs and the only reason why they didn’t go 16 and three like this team just did is because they were only required to win three times in the first round of those playoffs and they went three and0 against the Bulls in 8586 this Celtics team won 64 times in the regular season and then went 16 and3 in the playoffs I looked it up for the last 10 NBA champions to play a regular season with a full complement of games we all know the co year and then the year after the co year they played a truncated regular season of the last 10 NBA champions prior to this season the only team teams that won one team actually won 60 wins in the regular season and then lost three three or fewer games in the playoffs was the 19 pardon me the 2016 2017 Golden State Warriors in Durant’s first year there won 67 times in the regular season and then went 16 and one yeah in winning the finals yeah they were dominant that’s how dominant this team is okay I mean put it in perspective because I don’t know why these Celtics are viewed as anything less than one of the all-time great dominant teams that we’ve seen from start to finish and it’s because I guess nobody views Tatum or Jaylen Brown is a top five NBA talent for whatever reason that they’re not Curry or they’re not LeBron or they’re not Anthony Davis that there maybe some of their parts maybe but I you take a look at this team they just dispatched the Dallas Mavericks with one calf TI behind their back they didn’t even have porzingis at full strength they didn’t even have him for one of the games and porzingis is now holding a trophy love that dude pus he’s he’s the first lvan to ever win the Larry O’Brien by the way and he is maybe the most popular guy on the team with the crowd everybody loves him and why not because what he provides them is another guy who can shoot a three who can defend the perimeter and can also block shots underneath the basket it includes seven-footers and also a 6’4 guy in Derek white who is turning himself into a Hall of Fame player honestly you’re not wrong this dude does everything he takes he takes three-point shots that break your back he blocks seven Footers around the rim he runs the floor he defends the perimeter and he chips teeth he face plants loses a tooth gets up dries off the blood and gets out there and cuts out your heart and shows it to you pumpin and he’s not even jayen Brown or Jason Tatum and he’s not jeru holiday either who’s one of the best defenders the NBA has who also is now in the Hall of Fame the number of times two time NBA champ now the number of times that Luca donic or Kyrie Irving could not get a proper shot off because of the switching because of the full 94 ft defending because you know you could blame some of it on Luca the pounding of the rock for 10 12 15 seconds and then passing it off to somebody who’s not free to take a shot because the Celtics are defending uh they they got smoked anybody out there who came into this series because of the way the Mavericks played in the Western Conference Final thinking that they had the leg up has complete egg all over their face this very morning and there were a ton of well-respected people who thought the Mavericks were the better team entering the finals that’s absurd that’s absurd the Celtics and this is what championship teams do and this is what Championship Playoff runs do to their opponent exposed every weakness they had every weakness Luca’s defense Luca’s uh conditioning potentially the the lack of uh another playmaker other than Kyrie or Luca the fact that they were young underneath uh the hoop it was Perfection Perfection except they didn’t win every game they played this year I mean I don’t know what else you can say about this team and the three games that they did lose they got blown out they just had the one stinker where it was like okay it happens again you take a look at the last 10 NBA champions 41 4-1 4-1 in a sweep the last 10 NBA champ Champions to play a full regular season Denver 53 wins 16-4 in the playoffs Golden State 53 wins 16- six in the playoffs before the co years the Raptors 58 wins 16-8 in the playoffs Golden State in 2018 58 wins 16 and five in the playoffs even the 24 2015 Golden State Warriors team that began their Ascension 67 regular season wins 16 and five in the playoffs that’s no slouch the Spurs before that 62 wins in the regular season 16 and seven in the playoffs the Miami back-to-back championship teams of LeBron the heat they went 16 and seven in the playoffs this is as dominant as it gets and then I I’ll tell you this uh anybody that’s out there oh if the Nuggets had made it I I don’t know folks and anybody in the East too you got to sit there and you got to take this in you know the Knicks your Sixers TJ even if everybody was at full strength not against the team that looked like that and coached like this and you got to put say this too you know Journeys you talk about Journeys Jour you talk about climbing the mountain top Journeys right you’re talking about the Journeys for everyone let’s talk about these Journeys because Brad Stevens coached this team for eight years and then said you know what it’s not working and he goes to Wick grck the owner of the team who probably didn’t like hearing Brad Stevens saying yeah I’m not the guy and it’s just like are you kidding me because if I let you go every other team would think you’re the guy who’s the guy then let’s go em Yoko okay let’s hire him go to the NBA finals lose and then find out some crazy ass pardon me was going down my bad I can’t believe you had to bleep me but some crazy ass was going down that’s the only way to describe what went on with eay because we still don’t know what really happened you got we rich cuz that’s it you keeping it real so that actually just slipped out cuz that’s what it was that’s what it is it was something crazy was going down crazy bleep bleep please tell me you got that yeah I that’s what a couple of days off we’ll do I was I was working Italian there but so so that’s going down then you go to Joe Missoula who the heck is he right and then what what they up what they wind up doing and then Brad Stevens as an executive oh he’s got of the Year this year I mean you know that that trade for Derek white Romeo Langford for Derek white and then to take Marcus Smart one of the most popular Celtics ship him out JW holiday comes in porzingis comes in you sign everybody and then Jaylen Brown talk about a journey as well this sound bite got me this sound bite got me Jaylen brown with the trophy next to him and the trophy is the NBA MVP I have no problem with him winning this he did everything and I know Tatum by the way in the closeout game 31 8 and 11 11 assists Brown had 218 and six together they’re they’re they’re spectacular and but Jaylen Brown he just does it all and the fact is you just got a throw in here he got signed to the super maxius contract in the history of the NBA and in Boston that’s where you get chewed up and spat up out because it’s like okay you’re making all this money and you’re not doing X Y and Z and he does x y andz and ab and c and everyone else is better around him you better win and that’s exactly what he did this is what he did Jaylen Brown afterwards had this to say the the story and the journey is is awesome you know just being drafted here in Boston um like a lot of the people probably didn’t watch me play up in in the Pack 12 at Cal so you know it led to a lot of people you know feeling a way about that and you know I just came in and kept my head down and and told myself I’m G just keep working and and you know to be here in this moment now through all the years you know through all the the doubt through all of the ups and downs through all the adversity through all of the everything you know it just makes the story that much sweeter um but I I can’t even put it into words like he just feels great good for him man good for him that’s sigh too this guy has put it been through so much just with the media scrutiny he was involved in every tra the Celtics can’t get over the hump we got to trade for Durant well we got to trade Brown and somebody else every time it was a break up the J talk it was brown was the guy that was going to be shipped out of town to acquire a new Superstar and Brad Stevens didn’t do that didn’t do it stuck to the plan he had belief and confidence in these two guys that their games would work together and they would eventually win a championship we added porzingis and Drew holiday God I can’t say enough about Drew holiday and they’re finally Champions and it’s so well deserved I’m so happy and proud of those guys and and again some of the best moves are the ones you don’t make and he didn’t get rid of Jaylen Brown traded kembell Walker for Al Horford Al Horford’s Journey as Wellford by the way who was with the Celtics beginning went to Philly in free agency didn’t play looked like his career was over went to Oklahoma City and just sat on the bench and Brad was like we can still use you you’re still valuable come back and he looks like an Allstar now he’s a champion and he was uh on Pace to break Carl Malone’s record for most playoff games played Without a championship now that one’s out the door and I mean it’s it’s all working for the Celtics they have they have the new fangled Superstars and Tatum and brown and JW holiday and Chris Taps porzingis and then Horford and then they even have the what the Celtics have had forever which is two white guys who wouldn’t start for your team that come off the bench and shoot the threes they’ve got you know Hower they’ve got them all and Pritchard who traveled listen I can’t do that I can’t just go all I can’t okay but listen listen it’s all working for the Celtics and you have to wonder who the heck’s out there that’s going to add anybody to beat him next year if they come back and play like this because they they are young they are good and what they are is if Horford at age 38 is going around rookie centers who have been playing lights out in the playoffs he’s dribbling right around them so you got to wonder and you mentioned Rich they’re all signed whole team is coming back next year everybody Soup To Nuts congratulations Celtics Pride you should be prideful this is a team that you can root for that they’re they’re they’re a bunch of guys that you can root for should root for and it’s all good in that hood and congratulations about all thank you you’re welcome sir still time to come aboard TJ I cannot believe I Dropped a Bomb like that I just it just slipped out truly the only way like P prer from 60 feet I know I took an extra step or two took a couple steps I should have gathered and called it not travel one two gather come on guys okay bang bang catch the rich eyes and show every single day on the Roku Channel 1200 to 3 Eastern for free
Rich Eisen and the guys react to the Celtics 18th NBA championship with a 5-game win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Tune in to the Emmy-nominated Rich Eisen Show live for FREE on The Roku Channel at https://go.roku.com/thericheisenshow and also streaming on Audacy, Sirius channel 161 and XM channel 206 (Online channel 998) weekdays from 12–3 PM ET!
Showcasing insightful sports expertise with an offbeat mix of humor and pop culture, The Rich Eisen Show attracts the most recognizable names in sports and entertainment.
Subscribe here to keep up with the internet’s best sports and pop culture commentary, interviews, and much more!
—— SUBSCRIBE HERE:
https://bit.ly/2VjWSBC
FOLLOW US HERE:
https://www.instagram.com/richeisenshow/
Tweets by RichEisenShow
https://www.facebook.com/RichEisenShow
@thericheisenshow
https://www.audacy.com/richeisen/listen
#richeisenshow #nba #celtics
45 Comments
Tatum is a fraud
I don’t rank them high, I don’t even think they were best team in league this year. A few teams if healthy in the East were better and I think Minnesota was better too, even Denver
I've got the real answer, the game just doesn't look good. Not the teams fault, but the offense is boring, even when its working for almost every team.
We dont get posters, we don't have people getting beat 1v1, going to the other side and doing it back to the exact same guy who just did it to them.
there is to much match up hunting, to much 3 point shooter standing in the corner being the offense, and to many free throws.
I even like JB and JT for how they play, they have a great viewership quality both of them, Kyrie and Luka as well, though Luka trends towards Houston Harden IFYKY, that isn't the best either.
NBA needs to address watch-ability of the games.
Porzingis didn't play a lot of those games and even fewer fullish games. For us lifelong Boston fans, it was about as agonizing of a journey as it was for Tatum and Brown themselves. League's going to have to get used to this team. GO CELTICS! ☘
Everyone was not at full strength including the Celtics, a healthy Porzingas may have gone 16-0
Celtics proved team defense wins championships. Not superstar scorers.
Rich, have some decency and put a shirt on.
Basketball remains a team sport. One superstar (or even 2) isn't enough to beat a really good team.
Funny how teams like Denver, Milwaukee and Boston were more “trust the process” than Philly. Congrats to the Celtics!!
Jason Kidd said after the drubbing of the Mavs in game 7 that "Luka is one of the very best players on the planet." Huh? One of the best players on the planet wouldn't crater like he did with his poor percentage in the game from downtown. The ball sticks too much when he's dribbling around often aimlessly. And his laziness on defense is appalling. Two or three plays in the game loose balls near him he made absolutely NO effort to go after it but stood their like a statue. Luka has way too many flaws in his game that totally ruin his other personal abilities. No Jason Kidd, Luka is period, full stop NOT one of the best players on the planet despite your bias and your delusional thinking.
I really hope this helps Tatum's confidence because he needs to show up in playoffs and stop being so inconsistent. I'm a Celtics fan but not basking in the afterglow. Tatum is about to get 300-325M this summer so he better work like JB has done.
@Lakers lol
I’m young and think rich is a good guy. Just recently got introduced to his show. Thought I liked it at first but this will be my last time watching. Did he just call Derrick white a HOF player with a straight face?? Un subbed
That was a good Bang, Rich and Chris at the end
Celtics won the 2024 NBA Championship because Kevin Durant went back West in 2023 , Lebron James left Cleveland Cavaliers for Los Angeles Lakers in 2018 , Giannis was injured on the Milwaukee Bucks, Jimmy Butler injured on the Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors didn't make the playoffs. Easiest way to a Championship. Congrats on winning the chip anyway Boston. 😂
Only Ime Udoka would make Rich talk like that. It was that wild. But Go Celtics
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen brown aren’t looked at as top 5 players in the league because neither of them are top 5 players in the league… there’s nothing wrong with that, they were a dominant team
Bleeping Rich honestly has to go down as the greatest moment in the shows history hahaha
Exactly, Rich…The Masterpiece is determined at times due to what is left out. Wise words, Sir…
They did not even beat a top 3 seed. This year and the Nuggets last year are among the worse title winners in terms of seeds they faced. They did not play Embiid or Giannas. White as a HOF player! Rich must be drunk. He sounds like a complete fool. They traded the pick that became Segun in the Horford deal. Again Rich sould like an idiot.
ESPN hates New England demonizing 25 or 30 million people mainly because of NESN New England Sports Network ESPN figures pit the market they have against a market share that they don't have & can't reach because NESN has been where New Englanders go for sports talk since 1984 its almost as old as ESPN – if something seems off follow the money
You do know that the schedule was far fewer games, back in the Bill Russell era, don’t you? That’s why the Russell teams didn’t win 60 games in the season.
Thank you! Celtics worked hard for this! I seen them fight for years! Finally getting some respect too! Happy for all of them!
That MVP trophy needs to be cut into 15 pieces and distributed equally among this roster.
This celtics team had the easiest playoff path maybe ever. If they had faced some real advetsity, they wouldve choked and folded like the last 4 seasons.
They are not "up there" just because their path was so easy and the Mavs were the worst finals team I've ever seen
Who cares about this, they're champions this year and that's what matters. Where this team fits historically will fall into place when they win again next year or/and the year after that. We'll realize how great they are.
Brad stevens said it straight up 'we hang up when people ask about jaylen'
I contend that it is because we live in the age of every season being an “asterisk season”. It’s the stupidest thing. When you allow the narrative around one season to driven towards it being some sort of asterisk season, when the winning team didn’t get caught cheating in some way, this is the side effect of that decision. If someone says a team that won a championship, should be treated as if they didn’t, without being called out for it, you end up here. Just a few short years down the road and now every team gets a new asterisk. No matter how good they were, they get an asterisk that delegitimizes the credibility that their records said they deserved. Congrats to everyone fighting to give every season an asterisk, until it’s your team that wins.
Because only seven were won in 82 game seasons lol
They were not dominant in my opinion. A very good team but many teams in the Eastern conference had major injuries. Not saying they are not worth the title, but we have to take into consideration the amount of injuries the other teams had. I would like to see them repeat next year to validate their dominance.
I'm not a Celtics fan but this team is so easy to like. It is a bunch of good guys that happen to be good at basketball. They play truely unselfish basketball. This is clearly the best team since the 2017 Warriors and I think top 10 all time.
This argument is just crazy. Media always tries to make another story. They aren’t beating the great Celtic teams. Why ruin their moment
25 years watching and listening and this is bleep bomb number ONE 😂😂
We’re really desperately trying to make this Celtics team not seem boring as hell just like these finals.
Definitely one of the all-time greatest teams in NBA history.
The East has 41 chips vs 37 for the West.
Just better ballers right?
Nice shirt. 😮
Bruise brothers is in effect Holiday and White
Finally a good media not hating the Celtics thanks
It's about time…someone with some class and a spine can be one of a few that gives the Celtics their tribute. What it shows is how the media treat teams and players that aren't part of the pre approved clique that bend over for people like Stephen A and Nick Wright
Scariest part is everyone is under contract next year and with the monkey off their back they will be even better. Horford will most likely retire I would think. I know people say Tatum averaged more points, rebounds and assists but also took way more shots and just seemed browns big plays were always at pivotal moments in games. Not to mention picking up Luka at full court and by the 3rd quarter in game 5 Luka was walking up and down the court gassed. "Finally champions " Tatum and brown are 26/27 yrs old? It's just starting.
Trade Tatum
They had the easiest path to championship of all time.
Derrick white would be another Caruso if he wasn’t with the Celtics. Unless he gets 3 more tings, no way he’s a hall of famer.