The 2023-2024 NBA season was a dream season for the Boston Celtics after they won their first NBA title since 2008. Led by Jayson Tatum, the Celtics dominated the Dallas Mavericks with a convincing 4-1 win in the Finals.
However, Tatum recently reflected on the one team he believed could have won the championship if Boston had fallen short. During an interview with The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn, Tatum shared his thoughts.
“People always ask me, When did you guys know you were going to win a championship? When Minnesota beat Denver, I felt like Denver was the only team that they matched up best with us,” Tatum said.
Tatum expected a tough Finals matchup against the Denver Nuggets. But Denver’s loss in the Western Conference changed everything.
“I thought that we were going to play Denver in the Finals, and it was going to be a good one,” he added.
Despite Boston’s dominant 64-18 regular-season record, the Celtics struggled against the Nuggets, losing both regular-season meetings. While the Celtics eventually triumphed in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Denver Nuggets were upset by the Minnesota Timberwolves in a grueling seven-game series in the Western Conference Semifinals.
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Jayson Tatum Shares Nerve-Wracking Moments Before the Celtics’ Championship Win
In the interview, Tatum also recalled his experience facing the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. The Boston Celtics had taken a commanding 3-0 lead in the series, and the Celtics forward shared his thoughts during that pivotal moment.
“When we were in Dallas and we went up, 3-0, oh my God. Nobody has ever come back from 0-3, so I remember getting back to the locker room and I remember saying, I don’t know what game it’s going to be, but we’re going to win the championship. I wasn’t able to sleep that night, and I remember the morning of Game 4, we had a shootaround,” Tatum said.
“I had never been in the position that if we win tonight, we’re champions. We lost by like 30, we wanted to win so badly, we were so anxious and so tight. But I knew when we were coming back home for Game 5, we were going to win,” he added.
Interestingly, the Celtics team will face the Denver Nuggets in their season opener. Celtics fans will be eager to see if Tatum and his squad can come out on top against Denver this time around.
Also Read: Brian Windhorst Explains Why It’s Not Possible For The Boston Celtics To Defend Their NBA Title This Season.
