I asked the staff a pretty straightforward question for this one: Predict how many wins are the Celtics going to get (explain).
Mark Aboyoun
After a 64-18 record last season, my bet is that Boston will finish with a 57 wins. I think they’ll still win the East, but without Porzingis to start the season there will be an adjustment period and I can see them dropping a few games early in the season. When KP returns, there will be another adjustment period where the offensive and defensive flow will be off until they remember how to play with each other.
Oliver Fox
As much as I’d like to sit here and predict 68 wins, which this team is more than capable of on paper, that’s just not a realistic projection for a team that just won the title. Ignoring Porzingis’ absence, I’m on record as very concerned with the Celtics’ motivation level going into this year, and I don’t see them killing themselves in late-March trying to win 70 games or something. I’m with Mark, give me 58 clean wins, especially with how Boston will have to manage the health of Horford and Porzingis going into the playoffs
Nirav Barman
This year, I have the Celtics going 62-20. Last year’s Celtics were historic in a number of ways. They were so dominant, that they essentially got to take the last month of the regular season off, clinching the 1st overall record in the league well before the playoffs. This year, I see them flipping that season around, taking it easier at the beginning of the season as they get in the flow of things with Porzingis rehabbing from injury, and putting in a stronger push at the end of the season to secure their place atop the league again as they head into the playoffs with some steam. The East is surely going to be more competitive this year, but the Celtics are bringing back a banner-winning roster that has been through it all together. What may lead to a few more losses due to higher competition in some games can be negated by their own experience and talent in other games. I don’t see their overall record taking too much of a hit in the end. (edited)
Ian Inangelo
I think the Celtics will go 60-22 this season. They are essentially running it back with the same roster that just won 64 games last season so I don’t think it will be that much of a step back. No Porzingis could result in a few more losses in the beginning of the year but unless there’s catastrophic injuries to the roster, I don’t see how this team can’t win 60 games again
Daniel Poarch
Asking for improvement on a 64-win season is a towering order for any franchise, but I think the Celtics will end up in a similar ballpark in their title defense season. In an offseason that didn’t necessarily see any seismic upheavals in the NBA landscape, the depth and continuity of the Celtics is going to be their biggest strength. The continued absence of Kristaps Porzingis in his recovery from offseason surgery will be a test, but even without his services, this is the league’s most talented roster. The expectation should be at least 60 wins this season.
Trevor Hass
There’s no reason to think this number will increase or decrease significantly. Sure, they’re now the hunted, but they basically already were the hunted even when they didn’t have a ring. Kristaps Porzingis’ injury will play a role, but the Celtics will power through en route to the No. 1 seed in a 59-23 regular season.
Steve Hooper
Boston will likely struggle to repeat the demolition start to finish of the East from last year and end with around 59 wins. With Kristaps out to start, Joe will need to shuffle the front court rotations for early stretches in the season and I think we could see a few more back-to-back losses or wins that fell to them last season swing the other way. Saying that though, I still think 59-23 is still on the cards and likely good enough for best record in the league and title favorites.
Mike Dynon
Last season I predicted 61 wins and Banner 18. The Boston Celtics said “hold my beer,” racked up 64 wins, and cruised to the title in the most stress-free playoffs in franchise history. Plainly put: The Celtics dominated both the regular season and the postseason. (We in Celtics Nation know that, obviously, but not only does it feel good to type out those words, that statement also triggers NBA Twitter.)
Anyway, back to the question: The champs’ roster returns intact, Joe Mazzulla is no longer seen as a questionable hire, and the pressure to win a championship has vanished. Once Kristaps Porzingis returns from his surgery, what’s stopping the Celtics from doing it all again? Granted, other East teams have made some improvements, so there are no sure bets – but now the burden of proof has shifted to them.
With all that in mind, the prediction here is 61 wins again and Banner 19. Why? Because it worked last time. And I challenge the Celtics to prove once more that I’m low-balling them. Honestly, I won’t mind when they do.
Jake Issenberg
On one hand, 64 wins feels like a lot to ask of next year’s Celtics. On the other hand, the Celtics’ starting lineup includes Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Al Horford. Even if Horford plays around 60 games at last season’s minutes load, it’s hard to envision them losing many games. The team’s floor is incredibly high on a game to game basis, thanks to the two-way impact of their top five players. However, with Kristaps Porzingis out for the first few months and Horford’s ongoing load management, the center position might present enough challenges to prevent them from hitting 60 plus wins. I predict the Celtics will finish with 59 wins, which should still be enough to secure the top seed in the NBA.
Rich Jensen
I’m going to go with my heart on this one.
65 wins.
What I want to see, regardless of whether it happens, is a Boston team that comes out of the gate with something to prove, and that, despite getting the best shot from every team in the league every night, they go out and win at least one more game than they did last season.
Jeff Clark
Vegas has the over/under at 57.5 wins. I’m trying to think of what realistic negative factors could happen to make me “take the under” with this team. You have to imagine they’ve already factored in the Porzingis injury and perhaps some regression by the team as a whole. The Celtics were relatively lucky with injuries last year, so that’s always a wildcard. Perhaps this is the year that Al Horford starts to show his age more. Maybe some of the bench players struggle at times. Perhaps Tatum has a prolonged shooting slump. I don’t know, the list isn’t long.
I still think I’d “take the over” (don’t gamble kids) and my prediction is a nice even 60 wins and another first place finish.
Your turn. Tell us your predictions in the comments below.
