Just a few months ago, the Boston Celtics successfully completed their quest to bring home Banner 18. Now, with the 2024-25 season roughly two months away, their focus has completely shifted toward their next title. But going back-to-back won’t be easy.
When the Denver Nuggets won the title in 2023, there was a ton of speculation as to whether or not they could win multiple rings. Nikola Jokic enjoyed one of the most dominant playoff runs in recent memory, but he failed to replicate that same success this past season.
But why?
What happened to the Nuggets this year that prevented them from winning another ring? Who got in the way? What did the Nuggets do to get in their own way? And most importantly, what can the Celtics do to avoid making the same mistakes?
Here are three lessons the Celtics need to learn from the Nuggets’ failed title defense last year.
1. Luck is needed
The best team in the world can make the playoffs with a real shot at winning a championship, but if luck isn’t on their side, it’s going to be very difficult to get the job done.
Every playoff turn needs a little bit of luck, and the Celtics got that. The Nuggets? Not as much. Denver got matched up with two teams that play them well, while the Celtics enjoyed three straight rounds in the East against injured teams. The Nuggets played fully healthy teams, and the Celtics didn’t.
This isn’t necessarily a lesson that the Celtics can learn from and account for, but it’s one that needs to be remembered. They need luck. Every championship team does.
2. The regular season matters
The Boston Celtics were dominant for the entire season last year—regular season and playoffs. They went 64-18 in the regular season and 16-3 in the postseason, adding up to an impressive 80-21 record.
As a reward for their regular-season dominance, they got the one seed in the Eastern Conference. It gave them a chance to play the injured Miami Heat in the first round.
More importantly, they avoided having to play the Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, and New York Knicks in the playoffs—the three teams widely viewed as the Celtics’ biggest threats in the conference.
Obviously, the Celtics got lucky with injuries, as Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell, and Tyrese Haliburton all missed time during the playoffs, but Boston earned the right to play lesser teams by getting the one seed in the East.
As for the Nuggets, they were in a battle with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder for the one seed out West all year. And in the end, they had the same record as OKC but got the second seed.
Because of that, they had to play the Timberwolves in the second round of the playoffs, leading to their eventual demise. Minnesota beat them in a seven-game series.
Had the Nuggets won just one more game in the regular season, they would have been the one seed in the West, they wouldn’t have played the Timberwolves in the second round, and their path to the Finals would have been easier.
3. Being cheap out doesn’t work
After the Denver Nuggets won their rings in 2023, ownership decided to cut costs. Rather than spending money to keep their championship core together, they went the cheaper route.
They let Bruce Brown walk in free agency, they didn’t bring back Jeff Green, and fast forward to this summer, they also decided not to re-sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Instead, the Nuggets placed a bet on their young core: Guys like Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, and Julian Strawther. Last year, it didn’t pan out. They felt the loss of Brown and Green, and they will undoubtedly feel the loss of Caldwell-Pope last year.
Just because a team wins a championship doesn’t mean they are destined to win another, and the Nuggets learned that the hard way. The Celtics don’t plan to fall victim to the same fate.
Boston’s ownership played their cards right this summer. They did the exact opposite of the Nuggets. Heading into next season, the Celtics are bringing back nearly the same exact core as last year.
The Celtics re-signed Xavier Tillman, Luke Kornet, and Neemias Queta and inked Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and Sam Hauser to brand new extensions.
After the Nuggets failed to win another title after being cheap out, the Celtics weren’t going to go down the same path.