Are the Boston Celtics about to embark on a historically dominant playoff run rivaled only by the 2017 Warriors and the 2001 Lakers?
There are many words you can use to describe the 2023-24 Boston Celtics. Dominant, overwhelming, relentless, comprehensive, historic and impeccable are some of these words. Soon, champions could be added to this long list. And as the Celtics continue to prove their dominance, most recently via a 52-point victory over the Golden State Warriors, one can’t help but wonder if they could be preparing to make playoff history in some months.
More precisely, the The Celtics are about to make the playoffs which rivals only a few other teams in NBA history, notably the Los Angeles Lakers 2001 in which they went 15-1 en route to an NBA Finals victory?
It’s worth noting that the 2017 Golden State Warriors also only lost one game en route to a 16-1 playoff run by winning the NBA Finals. The Celtics will likely enter the playoffs with the opportunity to do something similar. While it can be argued that the Celtics will have tougher competition this year, the fact that they are even compared to some of the greatest teams of all time tells you everything you need to know about how good they are.
The Celtics are putting up historic numbers across the board this season and even on paper, they have one of the most talented teams in the league. The Celtics have a net rating of 11.6 this season, which is the fourth best in league history. The only three teams that have had a better net rating in NBA history are two Chicago Bulls teams led by Michael Jordan (1995-96, 1996-97) and the 2016-17 Warriors. The Celtics are tied with both of these teams. As long as they can avoid the injury bug, they’ll have a chance to make playoff history.
Boston is healthy and has been for most of the season. Heading into the start of the year, with how overwhelming they looked on paper, the belief was that one of the only factors that could ultimately derail the season was injuries. So far, this hasn’t been much of a problem for the Celtics.
But this is where the final weeks of the regular season could be decisive. The Celtics are cruising and will likely grab the No. 1 seed in the East at the end of March. This is a team that may not have much to play for in the final two weeks of the season, and that’s where they can get some much-needed rest for their core players before the playoffs .
Following. 12 stars on the commercial block. NBA Trade Rumors: Predicting the 12 stars most likely to be moved in the upcoming trade season. dark
The Celtics are having a historically good regular season and this could just be the start of what could await this team in the offseason.
