How this year’s Celtics compared to 2024 championship squad originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The 2023-24 Boston Celtics steamrolled their opponents en route to Banner 18, cruising to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and posting a 16-3 record in the playoffs.
While they’ve remained one of the NBA’s top teams during their title defense, the road to a repeat won’t be a cakewalk.
Unlike their predecessors, the 2024-25 Celtics weren’t the most dominant team in the league, or even their own conference. The Oklahoma City Thunder owned the best regular-season record at 68-14 to claim the top seed in the Western Conference, while the Cleveland Cavaliers edged out the 61-21 Celtics for the top spot in the East with a 64-18 finish.
Boston dropped both of its regular-season matchups against Oklahoma City and split its season series against Cleveland, 2-2.
Statistically, the 2024-25 Celtics came up short in nearly every major category compared to the 2023-24 championship squad. Aside from a slight edge in opponent points per game, this year’s team only surpassed last year’s in 3-point attempts and makes. (They set NBA records in both categories.)
The 2023-24 Celtics led in points per game, rebounds, assists, field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, offensive rating, defensive rating, and net rating.
Of course, while they may not be the juggernaut like the championship group, the 2024-25 Celtics still should be considered a heavy favorite to win it all. Their only rough patch of the season came in December and January, when they went a mediocre 11-9 over a 20-game span with a 3-8 record after wins. Since Jan. 25, Boston has rediscovered its championship identity with a 30-7 record.
As reigning champs, the C’s have excelled despite having a target on their back. Superstar Jayson Tatum has embraced the unique challenge of defending a title.
“It’s been a lot of fun, honestly, this year,” Tatum said before the team’s penultimate regular-season game against Charlotte. “Bringing everybody back besides Oshae (Brissett), we have such a joy and a connection with each other. There was some tough moments, but with one game left in the season I can say that everybody has felt valued, everybody has played a part in our success this season, everybody understands the common goal that we share, and we know who we are. We know who we are individually, we know what we bring to this team and to make it what it is, and we have so much fun doing what we do.
“We realize when you’re on special teams, and you’re with special guys, you just try to cherish those moments. The season goes by fast, but it’s been a fun one so far.”
The No. 2 seed Celtics will meet the winner of Tuesday’s NBA play-in tournament showdown between the No. 8 Atlanta Hawks and No. 7 Orlando Magic in Round 1 of the playoffs. If they advance, they will meet the Detroit Pistons or New York Knicks in the East semifinals.
Game 1 at TD Garden is scheduled for Sunday, April 20 with the tip-off time to be determined.
How this year’s Celtics compared to 2024 championship squad
Can Boston duplicate last year’s playoff dominance?
The 2023-24 Boston Celtics steamrolled their opponents en route to Banner 18, cruising to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and posting a 16-3 record in the playoffs.
While they’ve remained one of the NBA’s top teams during their title defense, the road to a repeat won’t be a cakewalk.
Unlike their predecessors, the 2024-25 Celtics weren’t the most dominant team in the league, or even their own conference. The Oklahoma City Thunder owned the best regular-season record at 68-14 to claim the top seed in the Western Conference, while the Cleveland Cavaliers edged out the 61-21 Celtics for the top spot in the East with a 64-18 finish.
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Boston dropped both of its regular-season matchups against Oklahoma City and split its season series against Cleveland, 2-2.
Statistically, the 2024-25 Celtics came up short in nearly every major category compared to the 2023-24 championship squad. Aside from a slight edge in opponent points per game, this year’s team only surpassed last year’s in 3-point attempts and makes. (They set NBA records in both categories.)
The 2023-24 Celtics led in points per game, rebounds, assists, field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, offensive rating, defensive rating, and net rating.
Of course, while they may not be the juggernaut like the championship group, the 2024-25 Celtics still should be considered a heavy favorite to win it all. Their only rough patch of the season came in December and January, when they went a mediocre 11-9 over a 20-game span with a 3-8 record after wins. Since Jan. 25, Boston has rediscovered its championship identity with a 30-7 record.
As reigning champs, the C’s have excelled despite having a target on their back. Superstar Jayson Tatum has embraced the unique challenge of defending a title.
“It’s been a lot of fun, honestly, this year,” Tatum said before the team’s penultimate regular-season game against Charlotte. “Bringing everybody back besides Oshae (Brissett), we have such a joy and a connection with each other. There was some tough moments, but with one game left in the season I can say that everybody has felt valued, everybody has played a part in our success this season, everybody understands the common goal that we share, and we know who we are. We know who we are individually, we know what we bring to this team and to make it what it is, and we have so much fun doing what we do.
“We realize when you’re on special teams, and you’re with special guys, you just try to cherish those moments. The season goes by fast, but it’s been a fun one so far.”
The No. 2 seed Celtics will meet the winner of Tuesday’s NBA play-in tournament showdown between the No. 8 Atlanta Hawks and No. 7 Orlando Magic in Round 1 of the playoffs. If they advance, they will meet the Detroit Pistons or New York Knicks in the East semifinals.
Game 1 at TD Garden is scheduled for Sunday, April 20 with the tip-off time to be determined.
