The Boston Celtics have a 46-12 record, which speaks for itself—they have been excellent all season long on a number of levels. They presently rank fifth in the NBA in terms of average points scored per game (120.7), and they have the highest offensive and second-best defensive ratings.
These numbers show that the Celtics’ offseason decisions have paid off, which is why they are the clear favorites to win. However, their 24-11 record versus teams above.500 should be the most encouraging statistic to consider. At 68.5, that is the highest winning % in the NBA right now. The Oklahoma City Thunder (22-12) and Minnesota Timberwolves (23-12) are the next closest clubs.
The Celtics stand out from the other Eastern Conference competitors thanks to this record. Only the Celtics and Bucks have a winning record versus these winning teams among the top six teams in the East.
Even the New York Knicks, who many believe have become serious contenders in the East, are 12-22 in these kind of games, as are the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are in second place at 14-17. These metrics make the Western Conference—which is objectively strong—more competitive.
The Phoenix Suns are the only club in their top six to have a record of 16-16 while playing against teams that are above.500. Fortunately for the Celtics, if they advanced to the NBA Finals, they wouldn’t have to worry about that.
Why does this matter for the Boston Celtics’ chances of winning the league?
The Hawks and Bulls, who are both below.500 but would be in the Play-In Tournament if the season ended today, may be the club the Celtics face in the playoffs. Apart from that, though, it goes without saying that the Celtics will play opponents that have a winning record. Their 22-1 record against clubs below.500 may be even more remarkable even if they weren’t.
There are teams in every sport who have excellent regular seasons but struggle as the competition heats up for the playoffs. The Los Angeles Dodgers are in the MLB, the Miami Dolphins or Dallas Cowboys are in the NFL, and in the NBA, you can only
The second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies of the Western Conference faced the seventh-place Los Angeles Lakers. The Grizzlies’ record for that season against teams that finished above.500 was a mere 24-23. In the end, they dropped that Lakers series four games to two.
The Sacramento Kings, in third place, faced the Golden State Warriors, in sixth place, in the same round. The Kings lost the series despite pushing it to seven games, finishing 22–26 versus winning teams.
One may argue that those teams were inexperienced and faced teams led by LeBron James and Steph Curry, who had clearly been there before. In any case, you can’t ignore it because all that’s required is the ability to defeat strong teams when
Celtics’ Prospects for Free Agency and Key Contract Choices After Trade Deadline
The NBA offseason of 2023 was exciting for the Boston Celtics.
There could be a lot going on this summer.
Perhaps this season won’t be as busy as the previous one, when the team acquired two stars in trade for Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porziņģis, and gave a third player a historic paycheck. However, they might need to make a payment in order to keep one of those acquisitions, and they might have to sign yet another historic contract extension.
Oh, and they will also have a championship to celebrate if all goes according to plan.
Although the players are undoubtedly not thinking about the offseason just yet, this front office most definitely is, so we’ll be doing the same as we assess this team’s position in free agency and analyze two of the most crucial choices they’ll have to make.
The Celtics’ salary demonstrates their complete focus on winning a championship or failing miserably.
According to Spotrac, they have the least amount of expected cap space of any party. It’s improbable that this will alter this summer, and they had better pray it doesn’t.
That figure would only fluctuate significantly if Jrue Holiday decided not to exercise his $39.4 million player option and went elsewhere. A team hoping to win a championship shouldn’t want to lose a versatile player like Holiday, especially since there wouldn’t be a clear option to take his place.
Though the losses wouldn’t be as severe, it might be difficult to cover frontcourt voids in the event that Xavier Tillman and/or Luke Kornet sign free agents.
For the remainder of the 2023–24 NBA season, how much playing time can we anticipate new Boston Celtics players Xavier Tillman, Sr. and Jaden Springer receiving? Before the NBA’s deadline of February 8, 2024, both Tillman and Springer were acquired by the Celtics via trade, with the intention of strengthening the team’s depth on defense.
In the team’s 129-112 away victory over the Chicago Bulls earlier this week, the two newest players on Boston’s roster made their debuts. Even though Springer’s debut was unremarkable, Tillman’s influence on the game was evident in the little playing time the former big man for the Grizzlies was given.
On a recent episode of the “Garden Report” podcast, reporter Bobby Manning of CLNS Media took some time to talk about how much playing time Tillman and Springer may anticipate for the Celtics this season. See it down below.
ANGELES When the NBA returned on February 22nd after the All-Star break, the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks continued where they left off, each winning seven games in a row.
In a 123-113 home win over the Phoenix Suns, Kyrie Irving contributed 29 points and Luka Doncic scored 41 points along with nine rebounds and 11 assists for the Mavericks.
The Celtics defeated the Bulls 129–112 in Chicago thanks to strong play in the third quarter, which saw Derrick White score 28 points and Jayson Tatum score 25.
When league-leading Boston (44-12) jumped out to a 16-point lead in the first quarter, it appeared to be business as usual. However, the Bulls defeated them 38-28 in the second quarter and had a three-point advantage at the half until the Celtics turned things around.
The Celtics connected on 23 three-pointers, with Tatum and White scoring five apiece.
According to White, the break was enjoyable.
We were all probably simply itching to get back to work. Just a great chance for us to close out the game with our finest basketball. It was a lovely respite. All we had to do was take stock of our situation and strive to improve every day.
Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic led the team with 22 points and 14 rebounds, but when Boston tightened up defensively in the second half, the Bulls were unable to respond.
The Mavericks in Dallas were likewise behind by three points at the break. However, they grabbed a double-digit lead in the third quarter by starting on a 16-0 run, and they never looked back.
Doncic said to TNT, “It’s always tough to come back from All-Star; the first game’s always tough.” “We played against a fantastic team, but we were outstanding.”
Phoenix was led by Devin Booker’s 35 points, to which Kevin Durant contributed 23 more.
With the victory, the Mavs tied Phoenix’s record of 33-23 and won the game-winning tip against the Suns.
After the Mavs moved up into play-off position at sixth in the West, Doncic said, “I think it was a very big game,” but he also said, “We’ve got to get ready for the next game and just keep going like that.”
In a 130-110 victory over the Washington Wizards in Denver, Nuggets star Nikola Jokic made NBA history by becoming just the third player to post at least one triple-double against every team he has faced.
Jokic finished with a perfect 10-for-10 shooting performance, 19 rebounds, and 15 assists. AFP
Leave a Reply