Celtics Stars Reflect on Lessons Learned from 2022 NBA Finals: 'Never Take it for Granted'

Bobby Krivitsky | Jun 5, 2024

Jun 13, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots the ball against Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) and guard Jaylen Brown (7) during the fourth quarter in game five of the 2022 NBA Finals at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports / Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

From Michael Jordan to LeBron James, winning an NBA championship is a journey that most of the league's most celebrated players had to wait to experience until they reached their primes.

The path to the NBA's summit required their games to evolve while asking even more of their maturation and growth from a mental perspective.

For Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, they've achieved considerable success in a partnership that has endured, but what lies in front of them is their best chance to lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

When they arrived on the NBA Finals stage in 2022, the former was 24, the latter 25; what tipped the scales in the Warriors' favor that series was Golden State's championship experience, collective know-how, and Stephen Curry's ability to convert the chaos and pressure of the moments that mattered most into fuel for a prolific performance.

"I give a lot of credit to that team, the Warriors," said Tatum while discussing what he took from that series as he prepares for his shot at redemption. "I think we understood what it took to get there. They understood what it took to get over the hump. That was really a special team that didn't make many mistakes, obviously well-coached.

"They've just been there before. In some of those tough moments, when I go back and look, you can tell that they had been there before. It was a lesson to be learned. I told myself that if I ever got the opportunity again to make it to the Finals, never take it for granted. Obviously, we're here now. Thankful to be here. I'm excited to get ready to play and have fun tomorrow."

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

And while some never look back on getting that close to their ultimate dream, only to see someone else live it, Brown revealed on Wednesday that it's a series he's studied several times since seeing Golden State celebrate a championship on the TD Garden parquet.

"I've watched it a few times now, maybe four or five times," shared the three-time All-Star. "As well as last year's conference finals. I think you can always learn from anything, really.

"But just being able to watch those moments and learn from them, how to manage your emotions, like, what you would have did differently potentially. I don't think that's bad to look at and acknowledge and be aware of. So I would say a few times at least I've watched the Finals, the whole thing, all the way through."

In the two years since then, Brown has evolved. He's enjoyed an All-NBA campaign and delivered the best season of his career this year as an encore. He's diagnosing defenses quicker to stay a step ahead, made significant strides as a facilitator, is even more lethal in transition, and he's shut down some of the best perimeter players in the league, including Curry.

Those skills were on display in the closing moments of the Eastern Conference Finals when the series MVP swatted an Andrew Nembhard layup to help preserve the Celtics' lead, then engaged four Pacers' defenders before finding Derrick White for the game-winning corner three that propelled Boston to the championship round.

DERRICK WHITE FOR THE WIN IN INDY 🎯

The @celtics advance to the #NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV! pic.twitter.com/bk6LFD4MuN

— NBA (@NBA) May 28, 2024

It's not just the Celtics' stars who have grown. White, like Brown, is enjoying the best campaign of his career. And Brad Stevens has equipped this team with the most talented top six in the Association, acquiring Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. Those moves reshaped Boston's core and brought more balance, helping maximize its All-Star tandem.

While discussing how he and the Celtics have grown since 2022, Brown expressed, "You learn and grow from your experiences, from being a 25-year-old to being a 27-year-old is a big difference. Yeah, I'm 27," he said while flashing a smile.

"You learn from those experiences. We got a different team. We got a different coach, too, as well. We had Ime Udoka; now we have Joe Mazzulla. We had Marcus Smart (and) Rob Williams; (now) we have Jrue Holiday (and) Kristaps Porzingis. Different team, different coach, two years later makes a pretty big difference."

David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

As Tatum and Brown try to break through to their first NBA title, they're also dealing with reaching the Eastern Conference Finals five times in their first seven years together, coming within two wins of Banner 18, but not yet breaking through to a championship in a sports-crazed region where that's the standard.

"You know the answer to that," said Tatum when asked if playing for this franchise, given its history, comes with more pressure to deliver championships. "Of course, right? We only hang NBA championship banners, right? 17 of them.

"Some of the greatest players to ever play this game wore this uniform. All of us are honored to follow in their footsteps, the way they paved for us to live out our dream. Essentially, yeah, if you want to be one of the greats to put on this uniform, every great before you won a championship. That's what we try to play for every single season. The expectations are obviously different here. It takes special players to be here and to be a part of an environment like that."

Tatum and Brown, finally playing in their primes together, have a chance to go down as two of the greatest players in franchise history. While there's no telling what the future holds, doing so likely requires them to apply what they've learned and how they've grown since the 2022 NBA Finals to influence a different result this time.

Further Reading

Kristaps Porzingis Details Mental Side of Rehab as He Readies for NBA Finals Return

Kyrie Irving Shares Regret and What He Takes from Playing in Boston

Celtics' All-Defensive Guards Relishing Chance to Defend Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic

Jayson Tatum Grateful for Second Chance in NBA Finals

Joe Mazzulla Eviscerates Contrived Narrative about Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown

Celtics-Mavericks NBA Finals Has Kyrie Irving Between Boston and Banner 18

Al Horford Returns to NBA Finals Aiming to Add to a Legacy Already Cemented

Jaylen Brown's Evolution Propels Him to Eastern Conference Finals MVP