The Boston Celtics still have 16 games left in the regular season. Their final game is April 14, a month away. Despite plenty of time remaining in the regular season, Boston became the first team to officially clinch a spot in the playoffs.
On Thursday night, the Celtics defeated the Phoenix Suns by the score of 127-112. All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 63 points on 24-41 shooting in the win. 37-year-old Al Horford scored 24 points and connected on six three-pointers. The win improved the Celtics’ record to 52-14.
NBA Sees First Team Clinch Playoff Berth for 2024 Playoffs
Insurmountable Lead For The Celtics?
It’s quite impressive to clinch a playoff spot with a month left when only six teams in each conference now receive guaranteed spots. This will be the fourth season where seeds 7-10 battle it out in the Play-In Tournament.
With still a month left in the regular season, Boston can essentially go into cruise control and easily still take the top seed in the Eastern Conference. They currently hold a seemingly insurmountable 9.5-game lead over the second-seeded Milwaukee Bucks and 10 games over the third-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.
They have a huge lead as well over the top teams in the Western Conference. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets sit atop the conference with matching 46-20 records. That puts both six games behind the Celtics for the best record in the league. In all likelihood, Boston will have the home-court advantage in each playoff matchup they participate in.
Unbeatable if at Full Strength?
With the Celtics easily owning the league’s best record, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that they are the favorites to win it all. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Boston leads the way with +220 odds. The next three favorites are the Nuggets (+340), Los Angeles Clippers (+550), and Bucks (+700).
The Celtics have won 17 NBA Championships in the history of their storied franchise. That is tied for the most all-time with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Boston’s last title came back in 2008. Since then, they have made two NBA Finals appearances losing to the Lakers in 2010 and the Golden State Warriors in 2022. Eleven of the franchise’s 17 championships came in a 13-season span from 1957 until 1979. The team won three more titles in the 1980s led by Larry Bird.
The Celtics were eliminated in seven games by the Miami Heat in last season’s Eastern Conference Finals. They overcame a 3-0 deficit to force a Game 7, but ultimately lost by 19 points.
If they can get to the postseason in good health, they will be an extremely hard team to eliminate. Boston traded for Kristaps Porzingis in the offseason. He has been a seamless fit, but he also has a lengthy injury history. The 28-year-old has missed the team’s last four games (Celtics have gone 4-0) with a hamstring strain. He has missed 20 contests on the season.
Most of Boston’s other main rotational pieces haven’t missed much time this season. Jayson Tatum has missed three games, Derrick White has missed four, and Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday have missed six.
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