The Celtics have a history that few if any professional sports franchises can match, so they put it on display. Hall of Fame point guard Bob Cousy, who won six NBA titles between 1957 and 1963, was introduced before being brought onto the court in a wheelchair.

Cousy was followed by 1981 NBA Finals MVP Cedric Maxwell, and then the Garden really erupted when Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, the stars of the 2008 title team, came out together. Allen’s presence was especially notable given his sometimes tense relationship with the others following his decision to leave the Celtics and sign with the Heat in 2012.

Pierce was carrying the 2024 Larry O’Brien Trophy, and when he reached midcourt, he passed it to Al Horford, who carefully placed it on a presentation table. NBA commissioner Adam Silver was booed when he was introduced, but he quickly turned that reaction around with one simple, factual line.

“The Boston Celtics are now the winningest franchise in NBA history,” Silver said.

Then the ownership group of Wyc Grousbeck, Steve Pagliuca and Bob Epstein was introduced. It may have been a bittersweet moment for Grousbeck, the principal owner whose family is selling the team and is currently accepting offers from potential buyers.

Grousbeck has made it clear that he hopes to retain control until 2028, but it remains to be seen whether a buyer will accept that plan. Anyway, Grousbeck grabbed the microphone and took in the scene.

“The statistics don’t lie,” he said. “You’re looking at one of the best teams ever put together in the history of the NBA.”

Grousbeck then went through the Celtics’ list of 2024 playoff wins and encouraged the crowd to help. When he reached the Eastern Conference finals over the Pacers, he held the microphone aloft as the fans roared, “Sweep!”

Then it was time for the rings, which were predictably extravagant. Grousbeck and his wife Emilia helped design the jewelry, which is certainly not intended to be worn around.

The 18 emerald-cut diamonds on the outer ring represent the franchise’s number of championships, and the 84 points of diamonds on the side ring represent Boston’s winning percentage in last season’s playoffs.

There are 16 more diamonds representing the playoff wins, and another 30 showing the seasons the Celtics have played at TD Garden. The word ‘champions’ consists of 80 white diamonds. Simply put, there are all kinds of diamonds everywhere.

When the top of the ring is removed, a piece of the Garden’s parquet floor is revealed on one side, as well as the date and score of the Celtics’ victory over the Mavericks in Game 5 of the Finals, and the championship banner and jersey number of the player on the other side.

The owners were the first to receive their rings, followed by assistant coaches and players. When coach Joe Mazzulla was introduced, he stopped just inside the free-throw line, bent down and kissed the parquet floor.

The ovations grew louder as the players became more important, reaching a crescendo when Brown and Tatum were introduced at the end. The soft-spoken and generally introverted Tatum then took a rare turn as a public speaker, addressing the crowd.

With his new ring on his finger, he said nothing at first. He just smiled and bowed his head as the crowd took over from there. Tatum told the fans he couldn’t have done it without them, then gave the first signal to move on to the next step.

“Let’s enjoy this moment together,” Tatum said. “I can honestly say to the best fans in the world: let’s do it again.”

As an organic “Let’s go, Celtics” chant filled the arena, the players made their way to center field, where Banner 18 waited. He was raised slightly above their heads for some team photos before making the slow, uneventful journey to the rafters, where he joined the 17 others. The Celtics’ place in 2023-24 history was finally cemented.

After the house lights came back on and the floor was quickly cleared, the Knicks returned to the court to resume their warmups and were greeted with a chorus of boos. As the game began, a few stray bits of leftover confetti fluttered onto the hardwood, the last reminder of that magical season.

Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.