The Celtics accomplished their goal and gave the city of Boston a memorable ride. However, there was one regret Jayson Tatum had about winning the NBA title.
Tatum has been living it up and felt a sense of relief that no one can take away the fact that he is an NBA champion. It was a long road after the C's lost to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals, but Boston was dominant throughout the season and handled the Dallas Mavericks in five games in the 2024 NBA Finals.
Dallas managed to keep the best-of-seven series going after winning Game 4 at American Airlines Center. It didn't deter Boston from handling business at TD Garden, which worked out well for fans to celebrate with the players on the parquet floor. But during his appearance on "The Old Man and The Three" podcast Wednesday, Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson bemoaned the fact that she won her NBA titles on the road. It prompted Tatum to reveal a lingering feeling about his title win.
"I would have preferred to win on the road, honestly," Tatum said. "Just because I know what it felt like for someone to win a championship on my home court, I wanted to get back -- like I wanted to win in Dallas. I've seen the Warriors win on our home court, and that (expletive) was devastating."
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Boston would have become the 10th team in NBA history to sweep the NBA Finals if it won Game 4 in Dallas.
Still, Tatum and the Celtics likely are more satisfied with the fact they won the title rather than how they did it. Tatum and Jrue Holiday will look for even more glory this summer as they try to help Team USA win the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Featured image via Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports Images