The Celtics are displaying similar traits to past champs as they battle for the franchise’s 18th title.
After knocking on the door for much of the past decade, are the 2023-24 Celtics the team that will deliver Boston’s 18th NBA championship?
Here are eight qualities that this year’s Celtics have in common with NBA champions of the past.
1. Star duo
- Why this trait matters: Playoff series are akin to chess matches with teams making moves and countermoves to slow down the opponent’s best options. A team with two stars is like having two queens on a chess board – pieces that can make every move, attack from every angle and wreak havoc on opposing game plans.
- This is similar to: The 2012 and 2013 Heat. There have been plenty of dynamic duos to win titles, but the two-wing combo that Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown present is a bit unique. It’s not the Splash Bros. backcourt or the Shaq and Kobe guard/center dynamic. Miami won consecutive titles with the wing combo of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
2. Elite offense
- Why this trait matters: Over the past decade, only two champions – the 2022 Warriors and 2020 Lakers – have won the title while finishing the regular season with an offense ranked outside of the top five.
- This is similar to: The 2017 Warriors. They are the last team to win the title while having the league’s top-ranked offense during the regular season (114.8). This year’s Celtics posted the top offensive rating in NBA history, scoring 122.2 points per 100 possessions.
3. Elite defense
- Why this trait matters: Over the past decade, only two champions – the 2023 Nuggets and 2018 Warriors – have won the title while finishing the regular season with a defense ranked outside of the top 10. Six of the past 10 champions boasted top-five defense.
- This is similar to: The 2017 and 2022 Warriors. Both those Golden State championship teams finished the regular season ranked second in defensive efficiency – which is where the 2024 Celtics finished, allowing 110.6 points per 100 possessions.
4. Point differential
- Why this trait matters: Scoring more points than you allow is the name of the game. Teams that excel on both ends of the court like Boston – first in offense, second in defense – can run up a high point differential (+930 total, 11.3 per game) and the wins (64, seven more than any other team).
- This is similar to: The 2017 Warriors, 1996 Bulls, 1971 Bucks and 1972 Lakers. The only team to finish the regular season with an average point differential over 11 ppg that did not win the Finals was the 1972 Bucks (11.2) and that’s only because they faced a team with an even greater differential in the 1972 Lakers (all-time best of 12.3).
5. 3-point shooting
- Why this trait matters: The 3-point shot has never been more prolific than right now. In 2023-24, teams averaged the most 3-pointers made in history (12.8 per game) on the second-most attempts ever (35.1 per game) while shooting the fourth-highest percentage (36.6%). The Celtics led the league in 3-pointers made (16.5 per game) and attempted (42.5), while shooting the second-highest percentage (38.8%).
- This is similar to: The 2015 Warriors. Over the past 10 years, no other team combined the volume and accuracy of 3-point shooting like Golden State’s first title team featuring the Splash Bros. That team finished second in makes (10.8 per game) and first in percentage (39.8%), which is well behind Boston’s pace this season.
6. Two All-Defensive guards
- Why this trait matters: Having two elite on-ball defenders on the perimeter is a luxury few teams have, and few opposing teams have to contend with. Jrue Holiday and Derrick White were both selected to the All-Defensive Second Team and bring a combined eight All-Defensive selections to this matchup to disrupt opposing offenses at the point of attack.
- This is similar to: The 1991, 1992, 1997 and 1998 Bulls. While there have been multiple championship teams with two All-Defensive players – most recently Holiday and Giannis Antetokounmpo with the 2021 Bucks; Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut from the 2015 Warriors – neither combos were full-time perimeter defenders. We have to go back to the 1990s Bulls and the formidable duo of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen – to find a comparison.
The Celtics’ all-defensive duo can draw comparisons over 25 years back to Jordan and Pippen in 1997.
7. Well-rested
- Why this trait matters: As we’ve seen throughout the 2024 playoffs, health is paramount to success. By sweeping the Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals, the Celtics earned nine days off before Thursday’s Game 1 (8 ET, ABC). Plus, it gives Kristaps Porzingis, who has not played since the first round, more opportunities to work with the team as he makes his way back from a calf strain.
- This is similar to: The 2023 Nuggets. Denver had nine days off heading into the Finals, a week-long rest advantage over Miami. Since 2013, teams on nine days rest have gone 2-2 in the Finals, with the 2017 Warriors joining the 2023 Nuggets as winners, while the 2019 Warriors and 2013 Spurs lost after extended rest.
8. 75+ wins and 20 or fewer losses
- Why this trait matters: Since the 1974-75 season – the first with four rounds in the Playoffs – only nine teams have accumulated at least 75 wins while losing fewer than 20 games entering the NBA Finals. Boston (76-20) is the 10th team to hit those marks, following up its 64-18 regular season with a 12-2 run through the East playoffs. The first nine teams are 8-1 in the Finals.
- This is similar to: Of those previous nine teams – the 1986 Celtics; 1987 Lakers; 1992, 1996 and 1997 Bulls; 2013 Heat; 2015, 2016 and 2017 Warriors – the 2016 Warriors are the only team not to win the championship.
