The Celtics' 18th championship banner is symbolic in that it stands entirely on its own

BOSTON – For those who like symbolism, note that the raising of the Boston Celtics' 18th championship banner began its climb to the rafters of the TD Garden on Tuesday night right in front of the visiting team's bench. The new ceiling flew up, up, and away, and the crowd revved its engines with a roaring “Let's go, Celtics!” chanted until it arrived at its new home next to the first of three banners commemorating the retired uniform numbers of Boston basketball legends.

When it comes to seat allocation for the championship banners, this new feature is a unique selling point. On one side of the retired number banners is the No. 17 championship banner awarded by the Celtics in 2007-08. On the other side, No. 18. And that's where No. 18 will stay, high above the sidelines, as the late, great Celtics play-by-play barker Johnny Most used to say. Legend has it that there were secret and insidious dead spots on the old Boston Garden floor, known only to the experienced Celts; Now, Banner #18 will taunt the Knicks, Pacers, 76ers, Lakers, etc. about what happens next in the NBA between now and the start of the tournament next spring.

Will the neighborhood or this banner help the Celtics assert themselves as NBA champions? Not a bit. But what Tuesday night's banner ceremony reaffirmed is that the NBA hierarchy has returned to its ancestral roots. The Celtics' 18 NBA championships are one more than the 17 won by the Los Angeles Lakers…and we'll pause here so the little ones can scream that four of the Lakers' championships were won in the franchise's old days Minnesota still paid taxes and plays its home games in the Minneapolis Auditorium. This argument is of course nonsense. Championships are championships, and the Lakers have 17 of them. But that's no longer the case because 17 isn't as big as 18.

As was the case with the Montreal Canadiens in hockey before and may soon be the case with the New York Yankees in baseball, the Celtics won more than just a championship in 2023-24. They offered a new opportunity to remember old stars, living and dead. Boston sports fans watching the upcoming World Series will have to grin and bear it as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Derek Jeter are mixed in with Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton, as will Knicks fans, who tuned in On Tuesday evening we had to endure many references to Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, Larry Bird and so on. (In addition, the Garden crowd let loose with chants of “Yankees suck!” in the third quarter of the Celtics' 132-109 victory over the visiting Knicks.)

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The bigger picture for the Green Teamers is that each newly won championship turns the next season's home opener into a breathtaking family reunion not to be missed, as players from long, long ago and not so long ago are invited back to the banner will raise and present rings. And so it was Tuesday evening. The ceremony included all the expected video tributes and spirited speeches, as majority owner Wyc Grousbeck said: “The statistics don’t lie. They’re facing one of the best teams in NBA history.”

The selection of Celtic legends was impressive. Cousy, who turned 96 in August, was wheeled onto the court by longtime Celtics manager Jeff Twiss. The Cooz played on the Celtics' first championship team in 1957 and five more after that. Cedric Maxwell was there to represent the Celtics of the 1980s. The Big Three reboot with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen was there. Sam Cassell was there, both as a current assistant coach and as a role player with the Celtics in 2007-08.

And then came the ring dispersal. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla always surprises, and on this occasion he kissed the green ground beneath the basket as his name was announced and he emerged from the shadows. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were introduced last and received the biggest applause. (But the cheers bestowed on Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens were just the right thing. At a time when Red Sox and Patriots management are being vehemently ridiculed by customers, Stevens has established himself as the father of the Boston Sports developed.)

Jayson Tatum receives his championship ring from Celtics majority owner Wyc Grousbeck. (Jared Weiss/The Athletic)

Most of Tuesday's ceremony was planned as expected. When the house is full and emotions are flowing in all directions, nothing is left to chance. But something that actually happened – unscripted, unannounced and probably unnoticed by many fans – was the interaction between Tatum and Garnett. Tatum sought out the old No. 5 and hugged the big guy.

That's what held the whole thing together: a Celtic of today embracing a Celtic of yesterday. Tatum and Garnett have never played together, except that they are now titular teammates in the rafters, Tatum and Brown with Pierce, Allen and Garnett…with Bird, McHale and Parish…with Hondo and Cowens.,. with Russell… with the Cooz.

Few NBA teams can put on a show like this. The Lakers have done it often. The Celtics did a little more.

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(Top photo: Brian Fluharty / Getty Images)