At the Boston Celtics banner night and ring ceremony

The Celtics have a history that few, if any, professional sports franchises can match, so they flaunt it. Hall of Fame point guard Bob Cousy, who won six NBA titles from 1957 to 1963, was introduced before being brought onto the court in a wheelchair.

Cousy was followed by Cedric Maxwell, MVP of the 1981 NBA Finals, and then the Garden really erupted when Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, stars of the 2008 title team, appeared together. Allen's presence was particularly notable given his sometimes strained relationship with the others after he decided to leave the Celtics and sign with the Heat in 2012.

Pierce carried the 2024 Larry O'Brien Trophy, and when he reached center field, he passed it to Al Horford, who carefully placed it on a display table. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was booed when he was introduced, but he quickly turned that reaction around with a simple, matter-of-fact remark.

“The Boston Celtics are now the winningest franchise in NBA history,” Silver said.

Next, the ownership group of Wyc Grousbeck, Steve Pagliuca and Bob Epstein was introduced. It might have been a bittersweet moment for Grousbeck, the primary owner whose family is selling the team and is currently accepting offers from potential buyers.

Grousbeck has made it clear that he hopes to remain in control until 2028, but it remains to be seen whether a buyer will accept that plan. Regardless, Grousbeck took the microphone and soaked in the scene.

“The statistics don’t lie,” he said. “You’re looking at one of the best teams ever assembled in the history of the NBA.”

Grousbeck then went through the Celtics' list of playoff wins for 2024 and asked the audience to help. When he reached the Eastern Conference Finals victory over the Pacers, he held the microphone aloft as fans roared “Sweep!”

Then it was time for the rings, which were predictably extravagant. Grousbeck and his wife Emilia helped design the jewelry, which is certainly not intended to be worn around.

The 18 emerald-cut diamonds on the outer bezel represent the franchise's number of championships, and the 84 diamond dots on the side bezel represent Boston's playoff winning percentage last season.

There are 16 additional diamonds representing playoff wins and 30 more showing the seasons the Celtics played at TD Garden. The word “Champions” is made up of 80 white diamonds. In simpler terms, there are all kinds of diamonds everywhere.

When the top of the ring is removed, a piece of the Garden's hardwood floor is revealed, as well as the date and score of the Celtics' decisive victory over the Mavericks in Game 5 of the Finals on one side, as well as the championship banner and the player's jersey number on the other side.

The owners were the first to receive their rings, followed by the assistant coaches and players. When coach Joe Mazzulla was introduced, he stopped just in front of the free throw line, bent down and kissed the floor.

The ovation grew louder as the players became more important, reaching a climax when Brown and Tatum were introduced at the end. The soft-spoken and generally introverted Tatum then took a rare public speaker turn and addressed the crowd.

With his new ring on his finger, he didn't say anything at first. He simply smiled and bowed his head as the crowd took it from there. Tatum told fans he couldn't have done it without them, then gave the first signal to move on to what's next.

“Let’s enjoy this moment together,” Tatum said. “I can honestly say to the best fans in the world: let’s do it again.”

As an organic chant of “Let’s go, Celtics” filled the arena, the players made their way toward midfield where Banner 18 was waiting. It was lifted slightly above their heads for a few team photos before slowly and calmly making its way to the rafters where it joined the 17 others. The 2023-24 Celtics' place in history has finally been cemented.

After the house lights came back on and the floor was quickly cleared, the Knicks returned to the field to continue their warmups and were greeted with boos. As the game began, a few leftover pieces of confetti fluttered onto the hardwood, final reminders of this magical season.

Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.