Celtics parade floods the streets of Boston with fans celebrating Banner 18: 'A life dream'

Banner 18 is sweet, Daniel said, after the Celtics got within striking distance of accomplishing the ultimate goal the past two years, before falling short to the Golden State in the 2022 Finals and Miami in last year’s Eastern Conference finals

“We lost to people that we shouldn’t have,” Daniel said, “but it was growth, it was learning, to keep a legacy alive.”

Friday’s parade marked Boston’s first since after the pandemic, with the last coming in February 2019 when the Patriots won their sixth Super Bowl. Boston Duck Tours has been part of all 13 rolling rallies in the past 24 years.

The Celtics — the entire organization; players, coaches, trainers, front office, dancers, Lucky the Leprechaun — passed the Garden, City Hall Plaza, and the Boston Common, before ending on Boylston Street by the Hynes Convention Center.

Fans piled rows deep along the entire route. Those gathered along the barrier in front of the Hynes got drenched in a shower beer by Celtics legend Paul Pierce, in a boat with members of the 2008 championship team.

Rhode Island resident Jeff Norman found a spot in the shade on Tremont Street next to the Boston Common. With his 10-year-old son Lucas out of school for the summer, the father decided to take advantage and soak in the glory.

“It was truly a team based on teamwork, and everybody participated, everybody contributed,” Norman said. “It’s an awesome feeling to have (the title) back in Boston.”

His son, never seeing the Celtics raise the Larry O’Brien trophy before, added, “I needed them to win.”

The Normans traveled into the bustling city on the commuter rail — a common way in for thousands. The Mansfield Police Department posted on Facebook just after 9 a.m. that several morning trains were 100% full, urging fans to seek alternate transportation.

Though temperatures broke after the heatwave, fans filled Dunkins along the route to the brim, seeking iced coffees and other drinks to stay cool in the day’s sun.

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