Celtics
“Seeing number 18 – having one more than the Lakers – is always a good thing.”
Former Celtics guard Dee Brown was back at TD Garden last week. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
The Boston Celtics have no shortage of basketball legends on the floor.
After a long time Boston Globe Basketball According to scribe Bob Ryan, the Celtics already have their “Mount Rushmore” of four legends etched into immortality in Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Bob Cousy and John Havlicek.
But could one of Boston’s current stars, Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, make a compelling case to overtake one of these hardwood legends in due time?
Former Celtics guard and 1991 Slam Dunk Contest champion Dee Brown has chosen to put the brakes on such talk…at least for now.
“I still think they have some work to do, because they’re still young,” Brown said last week before “The Tradition” awards ceremony at TD Garden. Russell, Bird, Havlicek. Paul [Pierce]. These guys are four names that no one would argue with. … They’re going to go up there. You have to win, maybe win multiple championships.
Tatum and Brown should continue to add to their resumes this season as leaders of a stacked 2024-25 Celtics team. Boston opened the year with a 15-3 record and should be considered the favorite to repeat after winning the franchise’s 18th title in June.
“I think they’re the team to beat…The championship has to come through Boston, and I think they’re proud of that,” Brown said. “Rehearsing is not easy. But I think they are up to the challenge. I think Joe [Mazzulla] did a great job and I give Brad Stevens a lot of credit. Brad is a great guy.
It took the Celtics several years to build this current roster, with Stevens having raised a solid core with trades involving Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday over the past three years.
But for Brown, the Celtics’ rise as the team to beat in the NBA was a direct result of the dynamic between Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
“I think they’ve figured out how to coexist,” Brown said of Boston’s dynamic duo. “There’s so much talk about ‘we need to separate them.’ They can’t work together. And I never believed that. I always believe that in any great team you need 1A and 1B. And I think they’ve faced the challenge of understanding that they need each other. … It’s a tough decision to part ways with someone like Marcus Smart, because he was the heart and soul of the team. But it gave Jaylen and Jayson the opportunity to be the leaders.
Last week’s awards ceremony marked Brown’s first time at TD Garden since Boston raised Banner 18 last month.
“To see those two working together and bringing another banner here, it’s — look, we always say that,” Brown said. “I think everyone knows the saying: ‘We don’t hang division banners here in Boston, we hang championship banners.’ » So seeing number 18 – having one more than the Lakers – is always a good thing.
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