Celtics raise championship banner No. 18 as franchise greats look on - ESPN

BOSTON — It took 16 years, but the Boston Celtics officially raised banner No. 18 to the TD Garden rafters Tuesday night, as the franchise celebrated its record-setting 18th NBA championship ahead of their season opener against their Atlantic Division rivals, the New York Knicks, in the first game of the 2024-25 NBA season.

«I can honestly say, to the best fans in the world,» Jayson Tatum said with a smile, «let's do it again.»

After years of playoff disappointment and heartbreak, Boston tore through the league last season, winning 64 games in the regular season before cruising through the playoffs with ease, going 16-3 to claim the organization's first title since 2008.

And, after rattling off the team's accomplishments, including going 37-4 at home in the regular season, much to the delight of the sellout crowd, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck smiled and said that they were, «Pretty damn good.»

«In a storied history that includes 23 retired jerseys,» NBA commissioner Adam Silver said, «now, this special Celtics team is creating a history of its own as we enter the 79th season of the NBA.»

As part of that celebrated history of the Celtics franchise, several legends from the team's past were on hand — from Bob Cousy, who won six of those titles in the NBA's early seasons; to Cedric Maxwell, who won an NBA Finals MVP award and a pair of titles; to the anchors of the last team to claim a title here: Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, together again and celebrating being the second-to-last Celtics team to win hardware.

The crowd exploded on a few occasions during the introductions of the coaches and players — specifically for former coach and current president of basketball operations Brad Stevens; coach Joe Mazzulla,