Jayson Tatum Shares Warning to Celtics at Championship Ring Fitting

Bobby Krivitsky | Aug 29, 2024

Jun 17, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) lifts the trophy after winning the 2024 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports / Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024-25 NBA season kicks off in Boston on Oct. 22. Fifteen of the 17 players who helped the Celtics capture Banner 18 will be there to see it raised to the TD Garden rafters on opening night.

While it would be easier to have a night exclusively dedicated to receiving their championship rings and putting the finishing touches on the final chapter of last season's title team, they'll have to do their best to shake off those emotions in real time to prevail in a rivalry clash and potential Eastern Conference Finals preview vs. the Knicks.

It's a microcosm of a challenge the Celtics will face throughout the 2024-25 campaign.

Two years ago, Boston got burned for looking ahead to the playoffs. After coming within two wins of lifting the Larry O'Brien Trophy in 2022, they were often guilty of looking ahead rather than staying present the following season.

Learning from their experiences, they adopted a "win the day" mantra that helped them deliver a dominant 64-18 record a year ago, the best mark in the 2023-24 regular season. They went 16-3 en route to Banner 18 for an encore.

Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

But just as reaching the Finals and coming within arms reach of a championship in 2022 impacted their focus the following year, after ascending to the NBA summit, the Celtics must guard against complacency if they're to become the first team since Kevin Durant teamed with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson on the 2017 and 2018 Warriors to successfully defend their title.

It's an obstacle Jayson Tatum warned them about while getting fitted for their championship rings two weeks ago.

"I'm of the mindset that after ring night, in a weird way, we got to put that behind (us)," he said, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic. "Last year was last year. We did it. It was a dream come true. We worked our [expletive] off for it. But after ring night, we gotta move on. We gotta get ready for game two."

So, while the Celtics' continuity is an advantage that could prove a difference-maker this season, it's on this group to demonstrate the maturity necessary to guard against the complacency at the other end of this double-edged sword.

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