A Championship for a Decade's Worth of Unsung Heroes

I'm back. It's been over a year since I last blogged but I was inspired by something I saw on social media this past week. It was a video compilation that brought me to tears. Keep in mind, I'm not someone who cries often or even likes to show emotion. I came across the video on Tik Tok and right away, you recognize the song "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth, which is always a tear-jerker every time it's played. Back story: I am a Boston Celtics fan living in Southern California (go figure right) and as I type this, the Celtics are the 2023-24 NBA Champions. My fandom began in the early to mid-2000s and things changed in 2007 when the team I loved traded for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. I had so much fun rooting for the Celtics in high school. The trio of Paul Pierce, Garnett and Allen, Rajon Rondo blossoming into a star, gritty role players and of course, who could forget the Doc Rivers facial expressions. It felt like that team was going to win at least 2, maybe 3 championships. Fast forward to 2012, while the team had successful seasons, they only had 1 championship to show for it. And after Ray Allen signed with the Miami Heat, it felt like the Celtics championship window was coming to a close.

The era officially ended when Garnett and Pierce were traded to Brooklyn the following off-season in 2013 as the Celtics front office committed to a rebuild. The cherry on top was when the Celtics traded Rajon Rondo in 2014 to the Dallas Mavericks. Just like that, the gritty and inspiring team I rooted for high school was no more. I was now a young man and still very eager to root for the Celtics, regardless of who was on the roster. Like any delusional fan, I believed the Celtics had a chance to make the NBA finals with whatever rag-tag lineup they were putting on the court that season. Something magical ensued. Despite being in this "rebuilding era," the Celtics under head coach Brad Stevens, found ways to outperform their projections. While the team didn't have a "superstar," they always had a scrappy group of players that became fan favorites. The "Super team" era took off during the mid-2010s and so it became admirable to watch the Celtics compete despite being undermanned. This blog is not about the 2023-24 team that just won the NBA Finals. It's about the often-forgotten players during the Celtics rebuild. Most fan bases have to endure multiple terrible seasons before their team competes and wins a championship, but for the Celtics in the past decade, that wasn't the case. I have fond memories of those teams in the mid to late 2010s, so in this blog, I will share my favorite moments and players from that era. Because the 2024 Championship wasn't just for the guys who are currently on the roster, no, it was for all the players who came before them and paved the way.

My Top 5 "Those Guys Deserve a Ring Too"

Isaiah Thomas, 2015-2017 C'mon now, you think I would put anyone else at the number one spot?! To this day, I promise my next Boston jersey purchase will be an Isaiah Thomas jersey. Thomas became not only a fan favorite but a nationally recognized sports icon. Standing at 5'9" Thomas became the hero for all undersized hoopers. He was traded to Boston during the 2015 season and eventually earned the nickname "King of the Fourth" after an incredible run in the 2017 season. I.T. finished that year 5th in MVP voting and led the Celtics to a #1 overall seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Unfortunately, Thomas suffered a severe hip injury ahead of the Eastern Conference finals and never returned to the same caliber. He was traded that summer in 2017 for Kyrie Irving, a move that was unpopular amongst fans, but Danny Ainge must have known how severe the hip injury was before we did.
Marcus Smart, 2014-2023 Maybe it's because this trade was more recent, but it stung not to see Marcus Smart on the court tonight winning a championship alongside Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Smart was drafted in the 2014 NBA draft and right away he won fans over with how much hustle and heart he played with.

Was he a little erratic at times? Of course. But he also continued to make plays that no one else could make, specifically on the defensive end. Smart eventually became the first guard since Gary Payton to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 2022. The man loved being a Celtic so much that he even died his hair green during his last few seasons.

Kelly Olynyk, 2013-2017 Kelly Olynyk was a highly touted prospect out of Gonzaga in 2013 and instantly contributed to the Celtics as a rookie. He earned a spot on the 2013-14 all-rookie team and he, along with Smart, were the first players taken in the rebuild that fans could see be on the roster for years to come. Arguably the most memorable moment in Olynyk's Boston tenure was when the big man went for 26 points off the bench in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Washington Wizards. While he wasn't great at any one particular thing, the Canadian did a lot of little things well and will always be remembered fondly by Boston fans.
Evan Turner, 2014-2016 Evan Turner's stint with Boston was only 2 years, but it felt longer than that. The guard out of Ohio State signed as a free agent before the 2014 season and brought playmaking ability in various roles for the Celtics franchise.

E.T. started 57 games in his first season, however, was primarily used off the bench in year 2 with Boston and even got some votes for the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2016. I personally enjoyed watching Turner a lot because he had that 'point forward' skill set, something I hope to bring when I play pickup games.

Avery Bradley, 2010-2017 I have no shame in admitting that I have an Avery Bradley jersey tucked deep into my closet. Bradley was drafted in 2010 and got to play with the likes of the Big 3 and Rajon Rondo sparingly. However, he was able to create a bigger role for himself once Ray Allen and Rondo were out of the picture. I loved watching Bradley develop into a solid 3-point shooter and like Smart, he always brought tenacity on defense. He ended up earning 2 all-defensive team honors during his stint with Boston before he was traded to the Detroit Pistons for Marcus Morris.

Some Honorable Mentions: Terry Rozier, Robert Williams III, Grant Williams, Amir Johnson, Jonas Jerebko, Brandon Bass and Jae Crowder

Guys You Probably Forgot were Celtics During the Rebuild

David Lee - remembered more for his time with the Knicks and Warriors
Jameer Nelson - to be fair, he was only with them for 6 games
Tayshaun Prince - was on the team for 9 days before being traded back to Detroit (probably for the best)
Carsen Edwards - do you remember this guy? No? Well, I don't blame you. There was so much hype in the draft for him to do nothing in the NBA.
Jabari Parker - I felt bad that he never fully returned to caliber after his injuries
Evan Fournier - Thank god he was only on the team for one year. You'll never guess what number he wore...

Moments Engraved Into my Memory

Isaiah Thomas dropping 53 in the playoffs on his sister's birthday, after she passed away earlier that year.

Marcus Smart doing Marcus Smart things.

I was convinced we were going to get a Celtics-Warriors Finals that year. I was living in Sacramento amongst Warriors fans and I was HYPED after this regular season win.

Only right to have a Scary Terry moment on here.

Last one, who can ever forget this early Tatum moment.

Don't Forget about Ime Udoka

Ime Udoka took over as the Celtics head coach in 2021 when Brad Stevens moved to a front-office role. It might be hard to quantify what Udoka meant to this team, but know that he had an impact in a short amount of time. In his first season, he led the Celtics to the NBA Finals after they had come up short so many times prior. The Celtics got the label as "soft" and some national media members said things like 'their core couldn't win the big games.' But Udoka brought an authoritative approach to this team and wasn't afraid to call his players out in the locker as well as in press conferences. On January 6th, 2022, the Celtics blew a big 25-point loss to the Knicks and dropped to 18-21 on the season. The Celtics head coach let his team have it in the press conference saying, "We need some leadership..." and "... there is some sort of lack of mental toughness here." Udoka's team responded and went on to finish that season 51-21, 33-10 the rest of the season, and earned the number 2 seed in the East before advancing to the NBA Finals.

I think I and many Boston fans can acknowledge that while Udoka's tenure was brief, it was impactful and led them to win a championship in 2024.

In Conclusion...

To wrap things up, congrats to the 2023-24 Boston Celtics on winning the NBA Finals. It may have taken a little longer than expected, but the Celtics are champions once again.