Jaylen Brown welcoming all challengers to Boston's NBA championship

The Boston Celtics were an unstoppable force throughout the 2023-24 NBA season. Joe Mazzulla's team won 64 regular-season games, securing the first seed in the Eastern Conference and recording the best net rating in the NBA. The Celtics continued their dominance during the playoffs, losing only three games on their way to the title while holding opponents to under 100 points in 11 of their 19 postseason contests.

Over the summer, multiple teams around the NBA have improved their rosters to bridge the gap between themselves and the Celtics. That increased competition doesn't appear to be worrying Jaylen Brown, who gave a defiant answer when asked about the upcoming season during an interview with NBC Sports Boston.

“We celebrated, we had a good time, it’s been an awesome summer — I’ve been having a great summer by the way,” Brown said. “…Now we got the target on our back. Everybody is trying to come after us, and I’m like, come on.”

The Celtics must find a new form of motivation next season. They're no longer chasing their first championship as a group or the 18th in franchise history. Instead, they're sitting atop the mountain with a chasing pack which is looking to steal their place.

Fortunately for Boston, both Brown and fellow All-Star Jayson Tatum have endured questions all summer — even despite their title — and will likely enter the new season hungry to prove the doubters wrong. If Boston wants to repeat last season's success, though, it will take a collective mindset similar to Brown's. The team must ensure the fire burns brightly and the hunger is still there for everyone to see.

If the Celtics can sustain the opening months of the campaign without Kristaps Porzingis active on their roster while building some momentum, it's hard to envision any team in the league slowing them down. Banner 19 could soon be hanging in the TD Garden.