Having clinched the Eastern Conference with nearly a month remaining in the regular season, the Celtics had little else to accomplish and even less to prove.
After blowing teams out for a better part of five months, the Celtics earned the luxury of resting their starters and experimenting with new things. However, they had one more box to check.
While many believed the Celtics were the best team in the regular season, they hadn’t yet clinched the NBA’s best record – which comes with homecourt advantage for the NBA Finals and even a trophy… that you’ve probably never heard of.
That’s right. The team with the best regular-season record gets a trophy. That trophy is the Maurice Podloff Trophy, which was introduced last season. A trophy that will be coming to Boston as the Celtics secured the league’s best record, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 135-100 on Wednesday night.
While many expected this one to be a potential NBA Finals preview, that wasn’t necessarily the case. The Thunder were without MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and their young, rising star, Jalen Williams.
Naturally, that took some of the air out of the matchup. The Thunder are far from the team that has won 52 games without Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams. But nonetheless, the Celtics knew what was at stake and came out and took care of business.
“We talked about it before the game, trying to treat this game as, like, the clincher, to kind of put that on ourselves,” Joe Mazzulla said postgame. “I think it was important for us to simulate that.”
While the atmosphere didn’t necessarily feel playoff-like, Mazzulla and the Celtics treated Wednesday like a playoff game. The Celtics, who were fully healthy except for Jaden Springer, went just eight deep in their rotation until the game was well decided — and aside from a slow start, there was a lot to like.
Oklahoma City had no answer for Kristaps Porzingis. Jayson Tatum scored nine points in the final four minutes of the fourth quarter to restore the Celtics’ lead to double digits, and Jaylen Brown, who was having a rough night, exploded for 15 points in the fourth quarter, all with Tatum on the bench. In just 8:31 minutes of work, Brown nearly outscored the Thunder as a team (17).
“I felt like I had a s— game tonight,” Brown said postgame. “I just wasn’t feeling my best. But luckily, we’re on a great team that finds ways to win. I definitely feel like I played a little better in the fourth. I felt a little better in the fourth. Just a tough night.”
Brown stepped up at the right time.
Additionally, the Celtics got 37 points from Al Horford (16 points), Sam Hauser (10), and Payton Pritchard (11) as they stepped up big in the shortened rotation. In total, they scored or assisted on 25 of Boston’s 50 (50%) makes, a welcoming sign considering that trio will be relied upon come the postseason.
“We have to find for each of these games, as we’re heading toward the end of the season, some sort of motivation,” Kristaps Porzingis said. “Tonight was a night where it was like, if we win this game, we could achieve something. Joe kind of poked us a little bit and got us going for the game, knowing that we could clinch it, and we went out there and took care of business.”
“Taking care of business” is a fitting motto for the 2023-24 Celtics, who advanced to 60-16 and reached the 60-win mark for the first time since the 2008-09 season with their win Wednesday night. It marked the 14th time they’ve hit the 60-win mark in franchise history. They have won the NBA Finals six of the previous 13 times.
“It’s an honor. It’s a blessing to be on a 60-win team,” Brown said postgame. “A lot of hard work went into that, especially after coming up short last season. Responding and coming back and not skipping any steps. I think we’re on track — 60 wins. When the playoffs start, [it’s] back to square one.”
It’s only fitting that the Celtics checked their final box of the regular season in historic fashion.
Wednesday’s 35-point win marked Boston’s 16th win by 25 points or more this season, the most in NBA history — passing the 1970-71 and 1971-72 Milwaukee Bucks and the 2015-16 Spurs.
Furthermore, it marked their ninth win victory by at least 30 points this season, tied for the second-most such games in a single season in NBA history, alongside the 2016-17 Warriors and trailing just the 1971-72 Bucks (10).
“We worked hard all season long, and I think we deserve this,” Porzingis said on clinching the top record postgame. “It wasn’t a specific goal for us, but as the year went on, we just kept on doing our job, kept working hard and winning games, and we ended up at this point. I think we deserve it. It’s possibly going to matter if we follow through with the vision that we have for ourselves.”
The Celtics remain focused on their ultimate objective as they clinch the league’s top record for the first time in over a decade. However, they also recognize the significance of their current success and the need to savor the moment.
“I think it’s important to not take it for granted. I think it’s important to have gratitude for that. It’s very hard to do.” Mazzulla said after the game. “We may never be in this position again, so don’t take it for granted ... It’s just a testament to the guys. We should enjoy it tonight, wake up tomorrow, then nobody cares. Get back to work.”
All the milestones Boston has achieved this year are laying the groundwork for something special. The Celtics understand they have a shot at accomplishing greatness and appear confident as they prepare to make their mark in basketball history.
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