Boston Celtics: 4 ways the Cs can be a top-3 seed again

Way for Boston Celtics to reclaim top-3 seed No. 2) Boast a top-10 ratings

A benchmark that has typically been good when trying to find the best teams in a given season is to look at both their offensive rating and defensive rating compared to the rest of the league.

Just because a team has a top offense or defense doesn’t necessarily mean the team is good. But, if they find themselves in the top 10 of both categories, then it’s usually safe to say that team has a good chance at competing for a championship.

This should be the goal for the Boston Celtics in 2021-22.

Even as a struggling seventh-seed last season, they still finished 10th in offensive rating and 14th in defensive rating.

The only teams that were top 10 in both categories were the Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, and the Milwaukee Bucks.

This wouldn’t be anything new for the Cs either. In both the 2018-19 and 2019-20, Boston accomplished this feat which, although the 2019 team underperformed, was still a championship-worthy team.

As for the 2020 team, they were two wins away from the NBA Finals and some would argue should’ve made it.

They certainly have the talent for it this season.