As a result of their victory over the Phoenix Suns by a score of 127-112, the Boston Celtics have become the first team in the National Basketball Association (NBA) to secure a postseason position for the current season. Due to the fact that the Philadelphia 76ers were defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks by a score of 114-105, the Celtics hold a 16-game lead over the sixth seed and are now officially certain to make it into the conference playoffs.
A comfortable lead atop the standings has been held by the Celtics for several months. With a net rating of 11.3, they are tied with the Spurs of the 2015-16 season for the fourth-best net rating in the history of the NBA. With a record of 62-20 in 2008-2009, they are currently on track to achieve their first season with sixty wins for the franchise. During their most recent 17 games, they have won 15 of them, bringing their home record to 30-3.
While Al Horford tied a career-high with six 3-pointers, Jaylen Brown went on a tear for 37 points on 14-for-23 shooting in Thursday’s victory. Meanwhile, Al Horford started in place of the injured Kristaps Porziņģis, who had been out with an injury. The group tied a season-high with 25 three-pointers, but they fell two short of the record set by the franchise.
As Porziņģis continues to provide medical attention for a hamstring strain, the Celtics have a mere six games remaining against teams that are higher in the standings than the Play-In Tournament. It is Boston’s second victory over the Suns in the previous week, and it is their fourth victory in a row. This comes after a brief losing skid against Cleveland and Denver, both of whom are strong candidates for the championship. In spite of the fact that the Celtics have been performing on their own plane throughout the entire season, the Nuggets are the only club that has regularly defeated them.
Can Boston make it to the top seed in the East?On Thursday, the Celtics are in a position to secure the top seed in the Eastern Conference, as they currently own a 9.5-game advantage over their opponents. There are a number of great teams that are competing for the Play-In Tournament, including the Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat, which might make their playoff draw especially risky. A first-round draw for Boston could be exceedingly dangerous if Joel Embiid is able to recover from a knee ailment and return to full health, or if Miami is able to return to its typical form in the latter part of the season. Because of the presence of other teams that pose a threat, such as the Bucks, the Cavaliers, and the New York Knicks, the Celtics will not have an easy trip to the Eastern Conference.
On the other hand, they have performed as though they are a huge favorite in the conference. According to the playoff probability tool on Basketball-Reference.com, as of Thursday evening, they had a 75.8 percent chance of making it to the NBA Finals and a 59.3 percent chance of capturing the franchise’s first championship since 2008. It is possible that these odds, which are based on 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season, are overly optimistic in favor of Boston; nevertheless, they do reflect the fact that the Celtics have been statistically dominant up to this point. By the time Thursday rolled around, they had a net rating of 11.3 points, which was over seven points more per 100 possessions than the second-best club in the Eastern Conference, which was Cleveland. — Jay King, a beat reporter for the Celtics