A look back on how the Celtics went from the bottom of the Eastern Conference to the Eastern Conference Finals in four years

Footage from 2009 Western Conference Finals highlighting the physical skills and competitive spirit of past playoff basketball in the NBA

SiriusXM NBA Radio If it were the other way around I think Jayson Tatum and the Celtics would've been first in the East and I think they would've made it out that game 7 - Evan Turner on how the Celtics wouldve looked with Jayson Tatum leading instead of Jaylen Brown

3 years ago Jayson Tatum dropped 51 points in Game 7

Donovan Mitchell on finally making Eastern Conference Finals Honestly I dont think anything changed As a leader I definitely grown I think Its about circumstance Sometimes its not your time The biggest thing is to keep trusting the process At some point youre going to push through

Tim Connelly on San Antonio and Oklahoma City changing the equation for what winning the Western Conference looks like going forwardI think the equation changes when you see the two teams playing in the Western Conference right now and how good they are We got smacked by Oklahoma City last year

The final moments of Game 4 - Cleveland Cavaliers vs New York Knicks - Eastern Conference Finals - 2026 NBA PlayoffsThe Knicks complete the sweep and reach the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years