In the beginning, of course, was Bill Russell.

He was so much the godfather of repeated NBA titles that repeats kept happening. In the early 1960s he repeatedly returned to infinity. The last time he did this was in 1969, when he quit the sport after securing his eleventh championship. Clearly he had made his point.

There were no back-to-back champions in the NBA in the 1970s. The early 1980s were known for a version of trading venues with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Magic’s turn was first. Then Larry’s. Then came “Magic’s” again in 1982. In 1983 there was a “Fo’ Fo’ Fo'” break with Moses Malone and Dr. J. Then back to Larry. Then magic. And Larry, at the peak of his powers as a genius on the pitch in 1986.

He was 29 years old at the time and it was the last time he played an 82-game season. He was the regular season MVP, completing a streak of three straight games. He was also the Finals MVP for Banner 16.

A look at the highlights of the Boston Celtics’ series victory over the Houston Rockets in Game 6 of the 1986 NBA Finals to win their 16th World Championship.

One of the reasons he and the Celtics couldn’t compete? His back. And Kevin McHale’s right foot. And once again too much magic.

It took another 20-plus years for the conversation to regain local relevance. The 2008 Celtics with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen (and also Brian Scalabrine and Eddie House) rolled the Lakers to Banner 17. They looked even better, deeper and meaner the next season. They won eight of their first ten games and then went on a 19-game winning streak.

In the second game of this series, in a home game against the Knicks, Scal came into the starting lineup and Eddie came off the bench. They both played exactly 20 minutes and scored eight points (Eddie, however, was plus 10 to Scal’s plus 9). The repeat mission essentially failed when KG injured his knee in Utah. He missed the playoffs and the Celtics were eliminated in the conference semifinals.

That brings us to Tuesday evening.

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It’s another home game against the Knicks, but this one carries more weight than the one 15 years ago. The Celtics will officially raise their 18th banner over the floor. Thousands of fans will share the poetic June memories of the win against the Dallas Mavericks on June 17th. celebrate. They’ll remember the parade of all time, a wild summer ride through the city where players and coaches could see that’s what all the passion and energy of Boston looks and sounds like when you win it all.

However, not everyone will be cheering. There’s plenty of envy and “why not us?”, and the Knicks will take the other side tonight. You won’t be alone.

A handful of teams have either tweaked or completely revamped their rosters to challenge the Celtics and win the title. The Knicks traded for Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges. The Sixers signed Paul George. The young Oklahoma City Thunder sacrificed some of their youth for the wisdom of veterans. The Mavericks didn’t shoot well enough against the Celtics, so they brought in Klay Thompson. Additionally, two multiple NBA MVPs who are still under 30 – Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic – are looking for their second title.

Minutes after the Celtics’ 2008 win, Doc Rivers retreated to his backyard office and wrote himself an angry note that read, “Winning a championship is HARD!!”

It was hard then, and according to recent trends, it’s even harder now. The league hasn’t had a repeat champion since the Warriors in 2018. The last time the Celtics did it, with Russell, most of the current Celtics – from Brad Stevens and his staff to Joe Mazzulla and his staff and, of course, the players – weren’t born.

It’s funny how quickly and dramatically the storylines change. Once upon a time, the big question for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown was whether they had the ability to play together and promote each other. Now that the results of that question are firmly in, it’s time for another: Why will the Jays be able to climb a mountain that Cowens, Bird and Pierce couldn’t?

Well, mountain peaks are one of the differences. The 30-year-old Bird was never better than in 1986. Robert Parish and Dennis Johnson, the core players, were already in their early 30s and showing subtle signs of slowing down. The 1986 champions, one of the greatest teams of all time, took advantage of a window of opportunity that wouldn’t be open for much longer. As dominant as the 2008 team was, it was led by a star trio in their thirties, all of whom had logged significant miles.

Brown will turn 28 in a few days. Tatum is 26. There is still a feeling that both still have room to develop as players. USA Basketball’s summer losses saved both from complacency and championship satisfaction.

Most importantly, however, are the team’s important statistics. While no team has beaten each other since the Warriors in 2018, no champion since then has done what the Celtics did last season.

By all metrics, including wins, the Celtics were the best team in basketball. They won the East by 14 games and had seven more wins than the top seed in the West.

In contrast, the Nuggets and Warriors had the fourth-best basketball records during their championship seasons. The 2021 champions, the Bucks, won 46 games, ranking seventh best in the league. The 2020 Lakers, with the league’s third-best record, won the strangest title in league history: They made the small world of Disney even smaller by operating in an exclusive bubble. And then there were the Raptors, who won the title in 2019 and almost immediately said goodbye to Kawhi Leonard, their best player.

This is different. On the morning of the parade, Mazzulla wore a black T-shirt. There was a picture of Russell on it. For this Celtics evening and for the entire season, the picture says it all.