The Boston Celtics won their 18th championship game on June 17, in game five against the Dallas Mavericks, cementing their status as the winningest team in National Basketball Association history. 

Game five was held at TD Garden in Boston and fans flooded the streets as the game ended with a final score of 106- 88. The celebration continued as the city began preparations for a championship parade. Beginning at TD Garden at 11:15 a.m., the duration of the parade was a little over an hour. The procession of floats, full of Celtics players, passed by iconic city locations such as Boston City Hall and concluded in front of Hynes Convention Center. 

According to Boston City Officials, over a million people gathered on this Friday morning, filling the streets and watching from windows and rooftops. The parade consisted of the well known Boston Duck Boats, full of each player’s family and friends. Fans caught glimpses of stars such as Jayson Tatum, hoisting this year’s trophy, and Jaylen Brown, who was named the most valuable player of the championship game. Brown’s pride radiated as he held his NBA Finals Most 

Valuable Player trophy high for all to see. Other duckboats and parade vehicles carried the Celtics office team and Celtics sponsors, VistaPrint. The team recently announced that VistaPrint will not be featured on the jerseys moving forward as a new contract has been signed with Amica Mutual Insurance for this upcoming season.

While championships are often a rare occurrence, this is the 18th parade for a Boston professional sports team in the last 22 years. Nevertheless, the air was thick with excitement as fans and government officials alike celebrated the success of one of the city’s biggest sports franchises. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey began the celebration at TD Garden by thanking the city of Boston “for honoring the Celtics Tradition.” She said “for this team in particular, we are in love with this team. Because this is a team that has given us so much. Today we’re going to party and celebrate the Boston Celtics.” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was also in attendance, showing her support for the team. “This team was willing to face challenging decision[s], face the non-believers, and work together to build something extraordinary. As a result, Boston is home to the undisputed greatest team in the NBA,” stated Wu. 

Celebrations continued after the conclusion of the parade as celebrating fans spread out through the city and filled bars and restaurants. In some cases, these celebrations got out of hand, resulting in two arrests made by Boston authorities. According to the police report, one individual climbed a 20 foot light post and stood on the banner holder stick. He refused to vacate the position, as officers approached with concern for both his safety and the safety of others. He ended up breaking the pole in his descent and was warned if this stunt was attempted again it would lead to arrest. After climbing a different pole and attempting to flee, the individual was arrested. 

At 2 p.m., police approached a large group of women fighting in front of the Boston Public Library. According to the police report, they had been peers at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth where they had developed “beef.” They had already been separated by an officer earlier in the day due to a verbal altercation, however the second time they ran into each other the altercation became physical, resulting in affray as well as assault and battery charges. 

The Friday that the parade took place concluded a week with extremely high temperatures. According to the Boston Herald, this led to more than 30 people being treated at local hospitals, many for heat related injuries. 

While no more arrests were made, the police had their hands full for the very long day. Videos went viral of people jumping into the fountain at the Boston Public Garden and there were reports of large crowds at all MBTA locations until 4 p.m. No one celebrates success like Boston and fans are already betting on the Celtics bringing home another championship win this upcoming season.