Another year, another 60-win season.
With a 36-point win over the Charlotte Hornets, the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics reached the 60-win mark in the regular season for the second consecutive year. The Celtics have closed out the season strong, winning 18 of their 22 games since the beginning of March.
If not for the dominant campaigns of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston would have been the talk of the town this season. This should work in their favor though as they enter the postseason as relative underdogs and with far less pressure than usual for a reigning champion.
It feels like the Celtics were on cruise control for most of the season before they turned it up a notch over these past few weeks. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been brilliant as always, posting rather identical per-game averages compared with last year.
The one notable improvement is their assist numbers as both took a significant leap and are averaging career-highs. Tatum is actually the team’s assist leader this year with six per game after averaging 4.9 last year. Meanwhile, Brown is third on the team behind Tatum and Derrick White as he jumped from 3.6 to 4.5.
The improved playmaking of these two superstars is crucial for Boston’s continued success as it allows them to fully maximize head coach Joe Mazulla’s motion offense.
The emergence of reserve Payton Pritchard has been another crucial development for the Celtics, especially when considering that starting point guard Jrue Holiday is already 34 years old. The 27-year-old Pritchard is averaging double figures in scoring for the first time in his five-year career with 13.9 points in 29.3 minutes per game. He has scored at least 20 points in a game 23 times already this season, more than double his total from the previous campaign.
Pritchard’s contributions have been a welcome development for Boston as their depth remains one of their primary weaknesses. They have managed the load of Holiday and 38-year-old Al Horford throughout the regular season and the hope is that they can put on a few vintage performances once the playoffs roll in.
The Celtics and Cavaliers look like they are destined to meet in this year’s Eastern Conference Finals. However, Boston will have to go through the more challenging route as the second seed. They are in the same bracket as the third seed New York Knicks who are led by one of the best closers in the league today in Jalen Brunson. New York also has a pair of elite wing defenders–OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges–who match-up well against Tatum and Brown.
It feels like these Knicks were built to counter the Celtics, so a potential seven-game series between these two teams should be intriguing.
Nonetheless, Boston’s overall chances of winning the title yet again are promising with their overall mix of championship experience, continuity, star power, and defensive identity. This year’s title should be considered theirs to lose as they embark on their quest to become the NBA’s first back-to-back champions since the 2018 Golden State Warriors.
