Boston Celtics FULL 2024 NBA Finals & MVP Trophy Presentation

Thank you, Lisa. To the Boston Celtics, congratulations. And the NBA record, 18 championships. To Wick, Steve, where's Brad? Congratulations on assembling an incredible team. Coach Mazzullo, where are you? You did it. Unbelievable. And to the fans, thank you very much. Without you, we wouldn't be here. And now it's my honor to present to the Boston Celtics the 2024 Larry O'Brien Trophy for the NBA championship. Wick, Wick, expectations for this team were so high all season long. Just how were they able to, every time, rise to meet the moment? Michelle, the brilliance of Joe Mazzullo is that he wouldn't let expectations get in the way. Joe Mazzullo said there's no expectations. You've got to win or die trying. Joe set a plan, and he kept everybody focused. And these guys played team basketball, great Celtics basketball. It wasn't about expectations. It was about getting it done. Banner 18. You've been close for the few years, but decided this offseason to make some major changes. How did you and Brad Stevens know that staying the course just wasn't going to be good enough? Well, we all watched the team the last few years. Great, great teams, but not quite there. And Brad was brilliant. We knew we needed to make changes. We knew we wanted to make changes, and Brad got it done. He brought in Drew, he brought in KP, and here we are. Banner 18 is back. Congratulations, Wick. Let's talk to your head coach. Joe, what makes this group so special? First of all, obviously for us, for me, our faith is the most important thing. Number one, we've got the best fans in the world. Best fans. Nothing better than representing the Celtics and being part of history and taking on the ownership and the responsibility. And we're nothing without these guys right here. These are the most important people, the players, their families, and everything that they do, and we're nothing without them. Again, the expectations were high all season long, but how did you help them understand that embracing those expectations could be a strength and not a weight? I mean, you get very few chances in life to be great, and you get very few chances in life to carry on the ownership and the responsibility of what these banners are, and all the great people, all the great players that came here. And when you have few chances in life, you just gotta take the bull by the horns and you gotta just own it, and our guys owned it. Thank you, Joe. Congratulations to you. And now the presentation of the 2024 Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award. Again, Commissioner Silver. Bill Russell would be so proud. The 2024 Bill Russell Finals MVP goes to Jalen Brown. What does holding this trophy mean to you? It was a full team effort, and I shared this with my brothers and my partner in crime, Jason Tatum. He was with me the whole way, so we shared this ---- together. You've said that what's been different about your game this season is that you let go all of the anxieties, all the doubts. First of all, you're a superstar, so no one knew you had any anxieties or doubts, but how were you able to do that to unlock your game, as you put it? I'm just, my faith in the most high. I'm just believing in my teammates, my coaching staff, and just being grateful. I've been grateful for every moment, every opportunity. I never hug my head. I don't care. I don't give a **** what nobody got to say, and we come out and we play basketball. Excuse my language, I'm sorry. Thank you, Jalen. Congratulations. Jason, where are you? Jason. You and Jalen have played in together 107 playoff games you've played with Jalen. Just, that's the most for any duo before winning a title. What's it mean to you now to finally get it done and to get it done together? It means the world. First and foremost, God is the greatest for putting us in this position, for us to be surrounded by each other, for us to put us in positions to maximize our ability. It's been a long time coming, and damn, it was worth it. The pressure, the expectations, the comparisons, the constant comparisons, it never divided you. You said it only made you closer, how? Because we know we need each other. We all need each other. This is a team sport, and we've went through the ups and downs. We deserve this. We earned this, for sure. All right, where are the rest of the Celtics? Come on up here, you guys. You guys have stood on team all season long on breakable bond, so I'm just gonna throw out questions. Come on up, get up here close to me. I'm just gonna throw out questions. Whoever wants to answer, answer, except the first question has to be to you, Al. I didn't want you to wait a moment longer. Tell me, what has the wait been like? It's been long, a lot of hard work, but I'm so proud to be part of this team, and that it happened now. La gloria a Dios, gloria a Dios. You dreamt of this for so long, and now you finally are a champion. Can you describe to me what's going through your head right now? I can't believe it. I still can't believe it, fella. I mean, we did it. We're here, but I can't believe it. This is just how I pictured it, here at the Garden, with our fans, everybody together. This is just how I saw it eight years ago. This is how I saw it eight years ago. WIC knows about it. WIC knows about the ring, eight years ago. Yes, sir. Congratulations to you, Al. All right, guys. Who wants to be next? Remember, I'm just going through all questions. Whoever wants to answer, answer. KP, were you even able to play tonight, Krisovs? How were you even able to play tonight with that bad end? Good question, I don't know. The medical staff did everything they could, and I gave my all, and I was able to get out there. And why were you not... You said you were gonna die out here if you had to. Why were you not gonna miss this game? Say that again, please. Why were you not going to miss this game? How could I? On home floor, we're the champions. Let's go. Congratulations. Drew, where's Drew? Drew, you were brought here for this reason, to be up on this stage. Why were you such a perfect fit for this team? I think it's every player on this team. Not just the players, not just the coaching staff on top of the organization. They really embraced me when I first got here, and they made this game super easy. But the fans here are insane, and I didn't expect it to be like this. They're... I love you guys. What are you most proud of about this group? I think that we did it together, and I feel like the world saw that. We did it as a team. No individual player. Everybody locked arms, and we got the job done. Congratulations to you, Drew. Derrick White, where are you, Derrick? Smile for us. Let's see that pretty smile. You got some loose teeth, you got a chipped tooth. This cost you. Why was it all worth it? Man, this is what we work for. I mean, I'll lose all my teeth for a championship, and so I'll get it fixed, and I'm gonna enjoy this one. Derrick, this team has been about sacrifice all season long. Just how were you guys able to come out here, no agendas, join together, listen to all the noise, and get this done? We got an unreal group of guys in this locker room, on the court, off the court. We just get along so well, and the coaching staff has always been just pushing us and driving us to get better, and I mean, this is what it's all about. What are you gonna remember most about this journey? Just the whole process. We didn't skip any steps from the beginning to the end, and just the locker room and everything. It was special. Congratulations to you, Derrick. Congratulations to all of you. To finals MVP, Jalen Brown, and to the 2024 NBA champion, Boston Celtics. Celtics. Yes!