The 2023-24 Celtics were one of the most dominant teams of all time.
Combining the regular season and playoffs, the team went 80-21, with a point differential of 10.7 points per game, which is 5th best all time. They were historically good.
Now compare where this Celtics team is to where they were through 37 games last season.
Through 37 games Cs last year we’re 29-8 with +10.3 pt differential
This year they are 27-10 with a +10.2 pt differential.
Absurd fall off damn.
— Trey (@TA1297) January 8, 2025
They are right on pace to where they were last season. Yet with Oklahoma City and Cleveland being as great as they are, people are starting to get concerned with where this Celtics team is.
I agree. Tough spot.
Admit it though. They don’t feel like last year.
FEEL Again! Celtics fans are gonna love it. https://t.co/K0nKq0tO4w
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) January 8, 2025
If it seems like you have heard people use ‘feel’ before when describing the Celtics, you probably have because, well…
Have there been points to this season where the Celtics have been frustrating? Of course. Scoring 27 points in the 2nd half of Sunday’s loss to the Thunder was very frustrating, like watching Caleb Martin bury the Celtics (again) on Christmas Day was frustrating.
This team might not have that same edge right now as they had at this point last year and that is okay.
“Does it feel like last year to you?”
No of course not and that is a GOOD thing. Last years team had to be on a mission all year long to prove they could do it. This year the Celtics have nothing they need to prove to anyone. They are pacing themselves according for another run
— Immortan Joe Mazzulla (@Handsome_Jake_) January 8, 2025
What happened in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals was embarrassing for everyone in the organization, top to the bottom. Of course they had an edge that they don’t have this year. They are still going to be one of the top seeds in the playoffs and probably the favorites to win the East.
Now compare it to the 2017 and 2018 Warriors.
The 2016 Finals were embarrassing to them, then they went out and added Kevin Durant (similarly to how the Celtics got Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis). Golden State was historically dominant in the regular season and the playoffs, with a regular season record of 67-15, a playoff record of 16-1 and a combined point differential of +11.96.
They had a similar edge to the one the Celtics had last year.
In 2018, they cooled off winning 58 regular season games, finishing 2nd in the Western Conference with a combined point differential of +6.8 points per game in the regular season and playoffs. They even went to a Game 7 against the Houston Rockets. Eventually, they found a way to win the championship again.
They found ways to win because that is what champions do.
I am not saying that this Celtics group is as good as that Golden State group was because they aren’t. The 2016-17 Warriors, to me, are the greatest basketball team ever assembled.
However, there are similarities between the two situations. An all-time dominant season followed by a team rising and challenging them in the conference met with a team who knows they can get it done.
The Celtics are by no means a lock to win the title this season. The Thunder and Cavaliers, along with a handful of other teams, are worthy opponents and will challenge the Celtics, similarly to how the Rockets challenged the Warriors that season.
Maybe these Celtics don’t feel like last year’s team to you and maybe they aren’t playing with the same edge they played with last year. That shouldn’t be a concern to their chances at winning the championship though. They are 27-10 with a 10.4 net rating and really, really good.
The Thunder and Cavaliers have been awesome this season and look like real threats to win it. One of them may even be the favorite in a lot of peoples’ minds. That shouldn’t make you panic as a fan of the Celtics. They are battle-tested, they are ready to meet any moment, and they are champions.
No matter what anyone says, I am always going to ride with my guys. No matter what.
