Jayson Tatum on improved East teams: ‘They gotta go through us’

The road to the 2025 NBA title officially goes through Boston after the Celtics' victory in the 2024 NBA Finals, and the big moves made by numerous other teams across the league help prove how true that will be next season. Two of Boston's Eastern Conference foes in the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers grabbed plenty of attention this offseason. Whether they did enough to catch Boston is the big question.

Jayson Tatum was asked about the moves made by a few of the Celtics' East rivals this offseason and gave a candid response. During an interview on 7PM in Brooklyn, produced by Wave Sports + Entertainment, Tatum showed plenty of respect for his opponents, but also made it clear that every team still has to go through the Celtics (h/t Bleacher Report).

"I mean, it's twofold," Tatum said. "Like, I see all the changes in people switching teams and obviously teams is getting better. And that's every offseason. And you got to have like an appropriate fear or respect for your opponent, right? You don't never want to disrespect who you playing." But with that being said, it's like we won. Like, when you win a championship, you get to talk how you want to talk. They gotta go through us."

Tatum makes a fair point. Even with the Knicks' blockbuster trade to acquire Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets and the 76ers' free-agent signing of Paul George, surpassing the Celtics won't be easy. Boston not only finished the 2023-24 season with a league-best 64-18 record, but lost just three games in the postseason over four series.

Tatum and the Celtics went 16-3 in the playoffs, and no series went more than five games. Boston also swept the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals to secure its chance to win the title. Teams like New York and Philadelphia may have closed the gap to some extent, but the Celtics were a force last season, and look primed to make a push for a repeat performance.