The final day of the regular season is on Sunday (April 14) and the Celtics are one of only a handful of teams guaranteed of their seeding. The top of the Eastern Conference? Locked up long ago, with a 14-game cushion. The league's best record? Yes. Took a little more work but currently the Celtics (63-18) are seven games better than the three teams (Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets) tied atop the Western Conference.
At ease in these regards, the Celtics may have gone into cruise control in recent weeks. The lineup wasn't always at full strength, but ghosts of previous seasons were dredged up, in which Boston failed to close out games. This hadn't always been the case in the 2023-24 season and late-season losses brought that buried pain back to the surface.
Still, this Celtics team has the ability to put struggles behind them. It's the first time since the 2010-11 season the franchise didn't lose three straight games. Boston will also finish with their most wins in a regular season since the championship team of 2007-08 won 66. Much like that season's team, the '23-24 edition is built to last in the playoffs.
Boston Celtics: Deep roster
One of the issues surrounding the Celtics in recent years, one that saw improvement with each passing season, was the lack of a deep roster. In 2023-24, Boston finally has a solid bench to support an outstanding starting five.
Players who stepped up when a starter was struggling or needed a night off. It was a roster designed with players who contributed as an interchangeable set of moving parts. Most importantly, head coach Joe Mazzulla rested stars and balanced minutes, optimizing this team to succeed.
It also helps the Celtics had arguably the best starting lineup in the league, starting at the top with under-the-radar MVP candidate Jayson Tatum.
Tatum, in many ways, put together his finest regular season to date. Scoring was down from a season ago but his impact was evident in other areas of the game. And in showing his growth, Tatum deferred to other starters and players and needed, taking some of the pressure off in the process.
Tatum leads the team in scoring (26.9) and rebounding (8.1) and is second in assists (4.9). In his seventh season, Tatum shot 47.1 percent from the field (best since his rookie year) and 37.6 percent on three-point attempts, which was his best since the 2020-21 season.
Around Tatum in the (regular) starting lineup, the Celtics contributions were plentiful. Jaylen Brown continues to do All-Pro work and Derrick White has risen to a defensive whiz and threat on the offensive end. The acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis has been (and fingers crossed, will continue to be) a true highlight and Jrue Holiday adds so many beneficial elements on both ends.
Boston will see eight to nine players play regular minutes and, for a change compared to recent seasons, I am comfortable with all players. Even if forced to reach further down the stretch, players who can contribute valuable minutes are available.
Al Horford, Sam Hauser, and Payton Pritchard are all capable of going off any given night. Horford can quietly put together a triple-double. Hauser will casually knock down six 3's in a half. And Pritchard, well, he was handed the keys to the bench this offseason and has responded in kind, playing in 81 games (with left to go) and scoring a career-high 31 points in Friday night's victory over Charlotte.
Pritchard should have more opportunity to close the regular season with more buckets. To prep for the playoffs, the Celtics are again resting their starters in the regular season finale against the Washington Wizards.
Playoff scenarios for Boston Celtics
While the Celtics are secure in their playoff position, the rest of the field is quite murky heading into the final day of the regular season.
The Chicago Bulls (ninth) and Atlanta Hawks (10th) are among two possible first-round opponents for the Celtics. Boston went 3-0 against the Bulls and 2-2 against the Hawks, losing to Atlanta twice in the same week by a combined three points.
These two teams would have the more difficult road to facing the Celtics in the first round. Meanwhile, plenty of playoff scenarios are on the table. Before Sunday action tips off, seeds five through eight are up in the air, with the Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Miami Heat jockeying for position.
Philadelphia, with the recent return of Joel Embiid, would be the team highest on the list the Celtics wouldn't want to face in the first round. On paper, that is the scariest proposition, with the Miami Heat being a close second. Miami always seems to be a thorn in Boston's side and find another level come playoff time.
The Celtics are 6-1 against these two in '23-24 but only 5-3 against the Pacers and Magic.
No matter who Boston faces in the first-round, franchise title number 18 is within reach, and with those first postseason steps comes great anticipation. The Celtics are built for it, and now it's time to respond.
Play-in games begin Tuesday April 16 (with the Bulls playing the Hawks on April 17)
image credit: Flickr
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