The Boston Celtics faced lofty expectations as the No. 1 seed in this year’s NBA playoffs.
They delivered impressive performances and are returning to the Finals for the second time in three years.
Boston has rolled through the postseason and swept the talented Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals.
It’s a far cry from last year when the Celtics were upset by the Miami Heat in last in the Eastern Finals as the No. 2 seed. Boston now awaits the winner of the Dallas Mavericks or Minnesota Timberwolves in the Finals.
The Celtics are seeking their 18th NBA title, which would break a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for most in league history.
“We feel like we’re a different team than we were last year and the year before that,” said Boston guard Jaylen Brown, who won the Larry Bird Trophy as Eastern Conference finals MVP. “I know everybody wants to continue to kind of pigeonhole us to what was happening in the past but we’ve had a different team every single year, different coaches, we’ve had like three coaches in the last five years. And still people want to make it seem like it’s the same, it’s the same, it’s the same.
“Time has gone by, experience has been gained and I think we are ready to put our best foot forward.”
The Celtics might be the NBA’s most complete team and they have been led by All-Star Jayson Tatum, who averaged 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists in the regular season.
Jrue Holiday, who signed a four-year, $135 million contract extension, leads Boston’s defense. In his first season in Boston, Holiday was the starting point guard, taking the place of Marcus Smart, and averaged 12.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists.
Holiday and Derrick White were All-Defensive selections this past season.
It was a hard-fought series against Indiana despite the sweep. Three of the four games were close until the end.
Here’s the breakdown of the series:
“It’s special,” Tatum said. “Even though we’ve been there before, most of us have, you don’t take it for granted. We were excited. It was a hell of a team we just played, they made us earn every single game and we’re extremely grateful to move on to the Finals.”
The Pacers were short-handed as All-NBA guard Tyrese Haliburton missed the final two games because of a hamstring injury. Boston took advantage and is now in the NBA Finals for the first time since losing to the Golden State Warriors in 2022. Boston has not won an NBA championship since 2008—the second-longest stretch in team history without a championship.
This year, Boston carries all of the momentum into the Finals.
Boston earned the top seed after going an NBA-best 64–18 in the regular season. The Celtics have now gone 12–2 in the postseason, winning their seven consecutive games.
“We are very grateful to be in this position,” said guard Al Horford, who was starting for Kristaps Porzingis, who is dealing with a calf injury. “Our mindset is very clear. We need to finish.”
