With a 135-100 win on Wednesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Boston Celtics (60-16) cliched the best record in the National Basketball Association and home court throughout the entire NBA Playoffs. This is the first time since the 2008-2009 season the Celtics have had 60 or more wins in a season.
Former All-Star Kristaps Porzingis offered a blunt assessment of Boston’s season up until this point following Wednesday night’s victory:
‘We worked hard all season long and I think we deserved this”
Boston Celtics Season Summary
BEST RECORD IN THE @NBA CLINCHED ? pic.twitter.com/BdjYgs4BZD
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 4, 2024
Boston has relied on their offense as well as their defense this season to clinch the best record in the league. They have the NBA’s fifth-best defense surrendering 109.3 points per game. The Celtics have not only been winning games, but they have been dominating the opposition this NBA season. They have won multiple games by 50 or more points this year and their average margin of victory (11.72) is fourth-best in NBA history. Only the 71-72 Lakers, 70-71 Bucks, and 95-96 Bulls have a larger average margin of victory in league history.
Boston is led by Jayson Tatum who is seventh in the NBA with 27.2 points per game. Jaylen Brown is also top 20 in scoring at 23.2 points per game.
Boston Celtics Are No Stranger To Playoff Shortcomings
Boston has been one of the NBA’s best teams for the past few seasons but has come up short in the NBA Playoffs every year. They lost in Game 7 last season of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Miami Heat after falling down 3-0 and coughed up a 2-1 lead in the 2022 NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors.
With a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals or better in six of the last seven seasons, and being on a historical pace this regular season, the time is now for the Celtics to win their first NBA title since 2008. With the NBA Playoffs tipping off in a little more than a week, the pressure on Boston is the most of any team in the league.
If the 2024 NBA Playoffs go awry for the Boston Celtics the NBA world will have to wonder if the duo of Brown-Tatum will ever win a championship.