Known by many avid sports fans as the best sports city in the country, few cities hold as much sports legacy as Boston. For the 2023-2024 Celtics and Bruins, the goal was to etch their names into Boston sports history. Driven by past success and losses, the teams geared up for a shot at redemption in the current season.
As the National Basketball Association (NBA) 2023-2024 season tipped off, the Boston Celtics were poised for greatness. Being led by their dynamic duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the team also added crucial players Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. The Celtics stormed through the NBA season, finishing with a 64-win and 18-loss record.
The Celtics’s dominance landed the team a first-round battle with the Miami Heat, a team that they had lost to in the 2022-2023 Eastern Conference Finals. The first-seeded Celtics made quick work of the Heat, winning four games and losing one.
After the opening run with the Heat, the Celtics faced off against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers were met with an offensive onslaught and fell to Boston four games to one. The Celtics went on to sweep the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals and look to continue their success in the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.
The Celtics are primed to make a serious run for the NBA finals, and no one is more thrilled than Boston’s fanbase. Wolfpack Basketball’s star shooting guard, Jackson Prinn (II), is excited to see what the future holds, “The Celtics are due for a banner sometime soon […] I’m super excited to see where this team brings us and I hope they can bring us another banner in 2024.”
On the ice, the Boston Bruins began the 2023-2024 season determined to remain among the National Hockey League (NHL) elite. Following a stunning first-round playoff exit to the Florida Panthers, in the previous year, the Bruins refocused their efforts in the off-season and started the season with a clean slate.
With standout performances from David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy, the Bruins finished the NHL season with a record of 47 wins and 20 losses while falling short in overtime 15 times. The Bruins dropped the puck with their long-time rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs, in the first round of the playoffs and quickly jumped to a three-win series lead. The Maple Leafs remained persistent and forced a game seven in Boston. Boston fans were out in full force at the TD Garden and the Bruins overcame the Maple Leafs. In the next round, against a strong Florida Panthers team, the Bruins took an early series lead but eventually fell to the Panthers in six games.
Boston fans were upset with the Bruins’s disappointing loss and believe the Bruins have fallen short many times. Long-time Bruins fan and captain of the Wolfpack hockey team, Aidan Fitzpatrick (I), is frustrated with the Bruins’s lack of success, “All these years of watching playoff losses and even the two [Stanley] Cup loses in the last ten years, it’s rough as a fan […] It’s tough to see veteran guys receive a lack of playoff success.” The Bruins look forward to becoming better than ever next season and finally achieving their championship dreams.
