BOSTON (WHDH) - While thousands gathered in the streets of Boston for the Celtics championship parade, Gov. Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu honored the Celtics at a pre-parade rally inside TD Garden Friday.
Four days after the Celtics secured their 18th league title by beating the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Wu thanked players, coaches, and team staff for their work.
“This was a team that was willing to face challenging decisions head on, tune out the non-believers, take big risks and truly work together to build something extraordinary,” she said. “As a result, today Boston is home to the undisputed greatest team in the NBA.”
Healey in her remarks said the state is grateful to the Celtics organization for delivering another championship banner.
She recalled iconic Celtics players from previous championship teams and thanked the current C’s squad “for honoring the Celtics tradition.”
“As great as they are on the court, these men are even better human beings,” Healey said.
“They are role models,” she said. “They are leaders. And today we’re going to party and celebrate the Boston Celtics.”
After Healey and Wu, several Celtics players took the court and sat for a brief panel discussion.
Asked about his experience coming to the Celtics after 14 years in the NBA and three years with the Milwaukee Bucks, Jrue Holiday said “I’m grateful I’m on this side now.”
Derrick White, who suffered a chipped tooth in a 14-point performance in Game 5, recalled Boston’s 2022 NBA Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors.
“To be so close and to fall short is just the ultimate motivator,” he said.
Kristaps Porzingis, who spent much of the run to this year’s finals, returned to action in Game One. But he was soon on the bench again after he suffered a rare leg injury.
Porzingis saw limited action toward the end of the series.
“It was heartbreaking for me,” he said. “I wanted to give everything to the team and then to get hurt again, I didn’t want to accept the truth. But I knew that this team is unbelievable and, either way, we would be fine.”
A small crowd of Celtics organization employees and their families were still gathered inside TD Garden shortly before 11 a.m. Friday after the Celtics’ rally.
An innumerably larger crowd spilled across sidewalks from Causeway Street to Boylston Street as the parade soon got underway.
7News will be covering the Celtics’ rolling rally throughout the day with special coverage beginning at 10 a.m.
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