The Boston Celtics haven't repeated as NBA champions in 55 years, but that'll be the mission once the regular season tips off in October -- a challenge not many active players or head coaches can attest to.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, however, can -- and from both sides. Kerr first three-peated with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in 1996, '97, and '98 during his 15-year playing career. That success carried over once Kerr accepted the head-coaching gig in Golden State in 2014, guiding the young Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green trio to a four-title dynasty, including consecutive NBA Finals victories in 2017 and 2018. Watching the Celtics win most recently from afar, Kerr can certainly understand what Boston's going to be facing in a few months.
"When you first win it, I think you have a deeper level of confidence," Kerr said, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. "To me, that first time that you try to repeat is actually a little easier. You do it a couple of times and you're actually exhausted. You try to do it a third time, a fourth time, you go to the Finals three, four, five times in a row, it’s utterly exhausting. But if you win one, you've got a deeper level of confidence than you had before and I think that really matters to teams."
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown experienced a mountain climb of multi-year scrutiny before defeating the Dallas Mavericks in five games to seize Boston's 18th title. They collided with Kerr's Warriors in the 2022 Finals, and even took a 2-1 series lead before faltering the next three games and allowing Golden State to celebrate in a confetti-filled TD Garden following Game 6. Those demons have been officially exorcised, but after the front office invested over $939 million in the team's starting lineup -- Tatum, Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White -- the expectations of finishing atop the mountain haven't gone anywhere.
Tatum and Brown will enter their age 26 and 27 seasons, respectively, which typically marks the beginning of an NBA star's prime years. Porzingis is expected to start the season sidelined after undergoing offseason surgery, however, Boston remains poised to contend with the best of the best in the East yet again.
