When Friday’s final buzzer at TD Garden sounded, it sealed the Boston Celtics’ 55th win of the season in their penultimate game. Sportsbooks set Boston’s over/under win total at just 41.5 before the season.
They smashed the projections.
In doing so, they clinched the Eastern Conference’s second seed -- once again, far exceeding external expectations. The team had seen key players like Jrue Holiday, Luke Kornet, Al Horford, and Kristaps Porzingis move onto new teams, while Jayson Tatum was expected to miss the season while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon.
Yet, they finished in the exact same place.
“I mean, regardless of what happens in off seasons, the process of the way we play is always going to be the goal,” Joe Mazzulla said of his team’s perpetual approach. “That's just how it is, and that's how it has to be.”
Now, at this point, it’s no secret that the beliefs internally were far different to begin the season despite the shake up.
“Coming in the year, we had faith in ourselves,” Sam Hauser explained postgame. “We didn't really know how it was going to look, and we kind of could tell within the first 10 games that we're trying to figure it out. Sometimes the best way to figure yourself out is trial and error. And throughout the year, I think we just got better and better and better and really bought into the identity of just being the hardest playing team.”
When the Celtics fell to 0-3, fans were beginning to search for their army helmets in anticipation of a tanking effort in what was widely viewed as a “gap year.”
In the locker room, the feeling was different. The early adversity motivated the Cs. It gave them something to come together and overcome.
“When we lost our third game of the year to Detroit, me and Joe [Mazzulla] were walking off the court, and we said to each other, like, ‘You know, this is only gonna make us stronger,’” Payton Pritchard shared. “We were going in the right direction. A lot of people didn't [feel the same way seeing us] losing our third game, but I remember, like, ‘Okay, we're gonna start turning the corner.’ Then little by little, every day, getting a little bit better. Like, you know, start getting there.”
Month by month, things improved. Boston’s 0-3 start became 3-3, then 20-12 by the end of 2025, 35-19 by the all-star break, and then 55-26 after Friday’s win.
Not only did the new pieces quickly fuse together and develop a strong chemistry, but Tatum returned early enough to iron out the kinks and get himself back towards the upper echelon of his capabilities.
Celtics smashed consensus expectations
After middling for the first month or so, the Celtics wound up with the league’s fourth-best record and net rating.
“I mean, 55 wins, obviously we got one more left, but that's something to be proud of, and being the two seed in the east is something to be proud of,” Hauser pointed out.
Though only championships are celebrated in Boston, this team still has plenty of reason to feel fulfilled as they prepare for a deep playoff run. According to their man in charge, using that fulfillment and perspective to fuel their continued improvement is key.
“You do have to have a sense of gratitude and perspective,” Mazzulla said of his team’s accomplishments thus far. “I think in order to try and get better as a team throughout Sunday in the playoffs, is having that perspective. It takes a lot of work. A lot of stuff goes into that.”
The Celtics will await the winner of Tuesday’s seventh vs. eighth Play-In Tournament game in the opening round of the postseason. Nothing is set in stone, but it sure looks like it’ll be one of the Orlando Magic or Philadelphia 76ers.