The Celtics took a trip to enemy territory before parading their NBA championship through the streets of Boston.
Jayson Tatum and company traveled to Miami hours after dispatching the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals on Monday night. It was a rather fitting mini-vacation for the Celtics, who had their lives made very difficult by the Heat in the playoffs the past few seasons.
Former Boston forward Brian Scalabrine referenced those "hard-fought trips to Miami" on Friday morning when he asked Tatum if his latest stay in South Beach was "a little sweeter." The five-time All-Star responded with a dig at one of the Celtics' fiercest rivals.
"They're always easy," Tatum told Scalabrine, per an NBA TV video.
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Tatum's comment wasn't entirely disingenuous. The 26-year-old owns a career 7-2 record in road playoff games against the Heat, including a pair of first-round victories at Kaseya Center back in April.
Nonetheless, Erik Spoelstra's side likely will use Tatum's remark as bulletin-board material for next season when the Heat try to knock off the Celtics and reclaim their position as conference champion.
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