At 7:16 p.m. Tuesday, Jayson Tatum christened the 2024-25 Boston Celtics.

“I can honestly say to the best fans in the world … ‘Let’s do it again.’”

“Let’s Do It Again.”

The green-tinted swag should be on sale by the time you read this.

The Celtics paid homage to their 2024 NBA championship, their fans, and the entirety of the
franchise at TD Garden  before the season opener against the New York Knicks.

On Monday, Boston dedicated the “Bill Russell Bridge” near the Garden that spans the
Charles River from the North End into Charlestown.

The Celtics on Tuesday added another extension to the championship connection that began with Banner 1 back in 1957.

Bob Cousy had 12 points and 11 assists as the Celtics beat the St. Louis Hawks 125-123 in
double-OT to win Game 7 on April 13.

Cousy – all 96 years of him – was there Tuesday, too.

He was wheeled onto center court by another Celtics legend – longtime PR maestro Jeff Twiss.

“We still luv ya, Cooz.”

Ray Allen was there, as was Cedric Maxwell.

Paul Pierce walked onto Red Auerbach Court inside TD Garden with the 2024 Larry O’Brien
Trophy.

Truth.

All of it.

Adam Silver reminded all that the Celtics are once again atop the NBA heap when it comes to championships.

18.

All 18 Celtics titles were won while the team called Boston its home.

No Minneapolis/LA splits. Boston doesn’t count titles won by the Atlanta Braves or Carolina
Hurricanes.

(WHA historians get the later reference.)

Naturally, Silver was booed by the Boston faithful. That tradition goes back to David Stern and continued with Roger Goodell.

Boston Celtics stars, from left, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday joke before the Celtics raised their latest championship banner to the rafters Tuesday night. (Staff Photo/Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)

Sweet.

Talk about “Unfinished Business.”

New Englanders will boo Goodell all the way to the gates of hell.

And beyond.

Banner 18 headed for the rafters, and even though those watching on TNT only saw part of its ascent into basketball heaven, Banner 18 indeed reached its final destination.

The trip took about 45 seconds.

Tatum flashed a lingering whiff of disbelief on this forever-young face.

Only another 14 years before he suits up with Deuce as Boston goes for Banner 22.

Banner 18’s rise was cut short by a DoorDash commercial. It may go down as the most awkward moment in NBA TV history since Nikola Jokić was selected by the Denver Nuggets during a Taco Bell spot in the 2014 draft.

TNT had Al Horford mic’d up before the game. Horford got props from Kevin Garnett. He called the ring “ridiculous.”

Celtics “owner in name only” Wyc Grousbeck worked the crowd after picking up his ring.

“We had you. The best fans in Boston. The best fans in sports. The best fans anywhere,” Wyc said.

Wyc’s dad is looking to unload the franchise for $6 billion.

Tuesday night was priceless.

And those rings.

Boston’s 2024 Crown Jewel has more sparkle than the Tiffany’s in Chestnut Hill.

The Celtics ring has two levels. If you remove the top, you see the 2024 championship banner and a piece of the original Garden parquet floor engraved with the final score of Game 5 against Dallas.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks raised their “Western Conference champions” banner quietly on
social media Monday inside an empty American Airlines Center. Mark Cuban has gone from
“Shark Tank” to “First Loser.”

The inside of the Celtics ring is engraved with the 2024 playoff results and features the saying “Whatever It Takes.”

It sports 18 diamonds.

One for each championship.

And those diamonds are forever.

Banner 18 means these Celtics are all grown up.

18 means you’re an adult.

You can vote.

You can sign a binding contract.

And you can handle the pressure of being a defending NBA champion.

Come what may.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla is ready to fill the “lack of accountability” void that has plagued the other teams in town.

The Patriots and Red Sox front office pass the buck quicker than blackjack dealers at Encore Boston Harbor.

Mazzulla wants all the heat.

“Zero. No pressure,” Mazzulla said Monday. “We’re all going to be dead soon, and it really
doesn’t matter anymore, so there’s zero pressure. You’re either gonna win, or you’re not.”

And it’s not mere coach-speak. Ask Jaylen Brown.
“We did not ease into training camp. Joe Mazzulla is a psycho. In good way,” Brown said before the team headed overseas earlier this month.

With championships comes added responsibility, as well.

“We’ve been entrusted with the tradition of this organization – by the players, by the staff, by
the front office. And we have a responsibility – and an ownership to the city – and to the people who came before us,” Mazzulla said before Tuesday’s festivities. “There’s a sense of gratitude not only to the city but to the people who came before us. That moment is cooler than anything else – just watching what you’re a part of. The Celtics are so much bigger than one year, two years. It’s a lifestyle. The quote that Red said, ‘The Celtics are a way of life.’ That’s something we don’t take lightly. “

The Celtics will be on as much a revenge tour as a repeat tour. The sour taste of the Summer Olympics no doubt lingers with Tatum and Brown. The national media chirped at the Celtics throughout the playoffs and offseason.

They’re carrying a chip on their shoulder not seen since the days of Tom Brady.

Let the dynasty commence.

Bill Speros (@RealOBF and @BillSperos on X) can be reached at bsperos1@gmail.com.