Through the first 40 fixtures, the Boston Celtics are 38-12 (.760). The Milwaukee Bucks (33-17) are the Celtics’ nearest rivals, some five games behind, so everything points toward them eventually reaching their 23rd NBA Championship.
Boston Celtics supporters have enjoyed more than their fair share of success in recent times. In 2021-22, the Celtics went 51-31 during the regular season before navigating their way to the NBA Finals for the 22nd time in their history. Unfortunately, the Celtics fell 4-2 to the Golden State Warriors.
Last season, the Celtics improved, finishing 57-25. They progressed to the conference finals, falling 4-3 to the Miami Heat. Amazingly, the Celtics have further improved during the 2023-24 campaign, and a winning NBA betting strategy would be to back them to finish the season with at least 60 victories, something the Celtics have managed to do 13 times during their long and illustrious history.
The Boston Celtics’ Season So Far
The Boston Celtics were quick out of the blocks, racking up five straight wins to get the season off to a flying start. One of those victories was an incredible 155-104 demolition of the Indiana Pacers at TD Garden. Jayson Tatum was unstoppable that day, scoring 30 points and 12 rebounds in a one-sided encounter.
Back-to-back defeats on the road to the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Philadelphia 76ers followed, but the Celtics returned to winning ways, enjoying six wins in a row. The Celtics ended 2023 with a 26-6 record.
The Celtics’ form has been slightly more erratic in 2024, with the team 12-6 through the first 18 games of the year. However, some of the Celtics’ performances have been sensational, especially the individual performances of Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis.
Tatum, Brown, and Porzingis: Celtics’ Deadly Trio
Every successful basketball team has at least one star player on its roster, but the Celtics have superstars in every position.
Jayson Tatum somehow continues improving. The third overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft was selected for his fifth consecutive NBA All-Star Game in January, and his statistics show why the former Duke Blue Devils is in its starting line-up. Through 47 games played, Tatum has averaged 27.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.0 steals. Already this regular season, Tatum has become the youngest Celtics player to reach 10,000 career points, doing so in November, and racked up 45 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists in an overtime loss to the Charlotte Hornets. It is incredible to think Tatum is still only 25 years of age; legendary status beckons.
Jaylen Brown was outstanding in 2022-23, finishing the campaign with career-best figures in field goal percentage (.491), free throw percentage (.765), rebounds (6.9), assists (3.5) and points per game (26.6). Brown’s performances did not go unnoticed, and the Celtics tied Brown to a five-year contract extension worth up to $304 million, the richest deal in NBA history.
Although Brown’s numbers are behind last year’s dizzying amounts, they are still impressive. Brown is averaging 22.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. He is the perfect foil for Tatum.
Latvian star Kristaps Porzingis joined the Boston Celtics in June 2023 from the Washington Wizards. Standing at 7 ft 2 in and tipping the scales at 240 pounds, Prozingis is a giant of a man who plays as a power forward or center. Porzingis has started life in Boston rather well, averaging 19.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.9 blocks per game.
The Celtics can also call upon Derrick White and Jrue Holiday; the latter is sinking 42.3% of his shots from outside the paint! With such talent at their disposal, it is challenging to see which team could realistically stop the Celtics from marching onto a record 18th NBA Championship victory.
Who Are the Celtics’ Most Likely Challengers?
It would take a brave person to write off the Milwaukee Bucks’ chances of glory despite being five games behind the Celtics at this stage. Any team that can call upon such luminaries as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard is dangerous plus the Bucks know how to get the job done, having won the NBA Championship in 2020-21.
The Western Conference is more difficult to predict because only a single game separates the top four teams. Oklahoma City Thunder are tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves at the top of the Western Conference; both teams are 35-15 through 50 games. The Timberwolves have never reached the NBA Finals, while the Oklahoma City Thunder have lost three of their four finals and haven’t been on the NBA’s biggest stage since 2012.
The Los Angeles Clippers (33-15) and the Denver Nuggets (35-16) are below the Thunder and Timberwolves. Like the Timberwolves, the Clippers are yet to reach an NBA Finals, but the Nuggets are the reigning champions, so they will fancy their chances of capturing back-to-back titles.
Conclusion
There is still much basketball to be played before the 2023-24 NBA regular season concludes and the excitement of the playoffs begins. However, both the Eastern and Western Conferences are starting to take shape, with the Boston Celtics forging a significant lead in the East.
The Boston Celtics look to be the team to beat this season, although hardly any teams have managed to beat them through the Celtics’ first 50 games. The Celtics are 38-12 right now, with everything pointing toward them enjoying a 60+ win season for the 14th time in their history.
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis have been unplayable at times, with Tatum putting in some scintillating performances on the court.
Although the Celtics are the team to beat in the Eastern Conference, the Western Conference is fiercely fought. Only one game separates the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers, and reigning champions Denver Nuggets, meaning the second half of the regular season could go in any direction. Exciting times are ahead.
