Should East contenders concern Celtics? Tatum has great response originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Celtics face an uphill battle if they want to raise Banner 19 in 2025.
The NBA hasn’t had a repeat champion since the Golden State Warriors in 2018, and several of Boston’s Eastern Conference competitors made significant moves this offseason, from the New York Knicks trading for Mikal Bridges to the Philadelphia 76ers adding Paul George.
Jayson Tatum doesn’t seem concerned, though.
When asked Thursday about the offseason moves of Boston’s competitors on Wave Sports + Entertainment’s 7PM in Brooklyn show with Carmelo Anthony and The Kid Mero, Tatum gave a confident answer.
“I mean, it’s twofold,” Tatum said. “Like, I see all the changes and people switching teams, and obviously teams are getting better. And that’s every offseason. And you’ve got to have an appropriate fear or respect for your opponent, right? You don’t ever want to disrespect who you’re playing.
“But with that being said, it’s like, we won. Like, when you win a championship, you get to talk how you want to talk. They gotta go through us.”
Tatum’s response clearly pleased Anthony, who said he wanted to hear more of that kind of talk from the Celtics star. And after helping Boston win its 18th championship, Tatum has obliged: He’s fired back at critics who doubted he could get over the title hump and confidently boasted he’d enjoy some downtime after winning gold with Team USA at the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.
Tatum and the Celtics have every reason to believe the East still runs through them. Twelve of the 15 players from Boston’s championship roster are under contract for the 2024-25 season (including the entire top eight), and while the C’s are expected to be without big man Kristaps Porzingis until at least December, they just went 30-5 without him in the regular season and playoffs.
So, the East can load up all it wants. As far as Tatum is concerned, the champs are still the champs until further notice.
NBC Sports Boston
