No team in the Eastern Conference has been as consistent as the Boston Celtics over the past decade, yet the NBA championship has continued to elude them since they last won it in 2008.

This postseason marks the 10th consecutive time that the Celtics have qualified for the playoffs which is the longest active streak among all teams in the NBA. Now that they have made it past the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round, they have also qualified for the Eastern Conference Finals for the sixth time over the past eight campaigns.

While those first two appearances in 2017 and 2018 were surprise showings by young teams that overachieved, Boston’s more recent runs have been defined by their shortcomings down the stretch.

This year, the Celtics boast of their most talented roster in over a decade and the hope is that this can finally get them over the hump.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who both made it to the Eastern Conference Finals in their respective rookie seasons, are now grizzled veterans and will be expected to continue raising their game to a higher level over these next few weeks. Anything less will inevitably lead to harsh criticism and might even open the door to a potential roster revamp in the offseason.

Through Boston’s first 10 games of this postseason though, Tatum and Brown have delivered as they have breezed past the Miami Heat and Cleveland with a pair of Gentleman’s Sweep series wins.

Tatum’s scoring numbers are actually down versus the regular season and previous years, but this is largely because of a shift in his focus to other aspects of the game. He is putting up strong all-around averages through 10 playoff games as he has put up 24.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in 39.2 minutes per game–all of which are team-high numbers.

Meanwhile, Brown has provided ample support, hitting 55.4% of his field goals en route to averaging 23.1 points per game along with 6.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

Beyond these two superstars, the Celtics’ starting guards Derrick White and Jrue Holiday have provided ample support and have made life much easier for the rest of the team. They are arguably the best defensive backcourt in the NBA today and are a major reason for this team’s dominance this season.

White just wrapped up the best all-around regular season of his seven year career so far and has found another level in this postseason. He is averaging 18.2 points on 48.5% field goal shooting, 3.7 three-pointers, 3.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 0.9 blocks through 10 playoff appearances.

On the other hand, the 33-year-old Holiday has seen his numbers regress during his first year with this team, though his impact clearly goes beyond the box score. In addition to his stabilizing presence on offense and elite defensive abilities, he brings championship experience to this team after winning the NBA title with the Milwaukee Bucks back in 2021.

Regardless of whom this Boston team faces in the upcoming Eastern Conference Finals, whether it be the New York Knicks or the Indiana Pacers, they will enter as the heavy favorites to advance to the NBA Finals. Given the superior talent of the Celtics compared with both the Knicks and Pacers, this upcoming series should not go beyond five games.

Boston is not only heavily favored to come out of the East, but they have a high chance to win the championship this year as well. Their recent history is littered with underwhelming and disappointing performances where they have failed to live up to expectations. However, the hope is that Tatum and Brown have learned from these past few years and the added guidance of Holiday is enough to see them through.

The Celtics are in a prime position to take home the franchise’s 17th NBA title this year and this season will ultimately be seen as a disappointment if it ends with anything less than that.