Even though they're coming off a championship run, it's clear that the Boston Celtics aren't satisfied. Starting off the 2024-25 season at 7-2 without Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics will stop at nothing to repeat as champions.
They've played at an impressive pace, which makes it all scarier to think about what they'll look like when Porzingis returns. With how good they've been and knowing their potential to improve, ESPN's Tim Bontemps compared them to one of the NBA's most historically dominant teams (before the Celtics lost to the Warriors that same night).
"While the league is boasting a six-year run of parity, the path Tatum and the Celtics seek looks eerily similar to the 2015-16 Warriors -- the winningest team of all time -- from their style of play to their roster construction to the skeptics who question the veracity of their championship."
The Warriors set the record for most wins in a regular season, having gone 73-9, thanks primarily to Stephen Curry's second MVP campaign. However, it took more than just him. Bontemps likened the current Celtics to the previous Warriors by comparing Boston's lineup to Golden State's iconic lineup.
"Golden State's "Death Lineup" featured five elite defenders, each of whom were credible 3-point threats. Boston's run to the 2024 title was powered by six core players -- Tatum, Brown, Holiday, Porzingis, Al Horford and guard Derrick White -- dominating in the same manner."
That's only some of the few elements those teams shared. Unfortunately where this comparison gets scary - and not in a good way.
Chasing history comes at a cost, as it did for the 2016 Warriors
Among all the accolades the Warriors accumulated that year, they didn't come away with a title. Even with all that they accomplished, they never got over the hump they should have, knowing how dominant they were.
In all fairness, they were a sliver away from basketball immortality. The fact remains that because they didn't, the 2015-16 Warriors remain among the most infamous chokers in all of sports. Their biggest issue was that trying to achieve perfection at all costs clearly drained them.
Excluding them blowing a 3-1 lead to the Cavaliers, they almost got embarrassed by the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. There's a fair argument that A) They may have been held in worse regard if the Thunder had completed the gentleman's sweep and B) Their efforts in the regular season hurt their stamina in the playoffs.
The Celtics could chase the record (they can only lose six more games if they want to beat it), which they probably don't even want to do because their focus has been keeping everyone healthy rather than winning regular season games. While they have been resting Jaylen Brown, all indications are that it's primarily out of precaution more than anything else.
But in all honesty, Bontemps is right. The Celtics are that good to the point where they could try to one-up the Warriors' historic season. But it may not be worth trying, knowing the stain it would cause if they blew their chance at the last (and biggest) goal.
Much like the Warriors back then, there's already enough pressure on this year's Celtics to repeat. Trying to make history in the process amplifies that tenfold.