Over the summer, one of the loudest conversations surrounding the Celtics was whether they should tank the season.
After trading away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, losing Al Horford and Luke Kornet in free agency, and with Jayson Tatum sidelined by a ruptured Achilles with no clear timetable, the Celtics entered the year knowing five of their top nine minute-getters from the previous two seasons — including the 2024 title run — weren't going to be on the floor.
With that came tempered expectations, with some on the outside even going as far as to say they should tank.
That never happened.
Now, with the NBA Playoffs set to begin Saturday, the Celtics enter as betting favorites to win the Eastern Conference, with the third-shortest odds to win the NBA Finals.
So how did they go from tank talk to title contention?
Let’s take a look back at the numbers that defined their season.
3 - Longest losing streak
The Celtics opened the season with a three-game losing streak, which ultimately proved to be their longest of the year. From there, they surged to a 56-23 finish, losing back-to-back games only four times and going 20-6 in games following a loss.
Their 56 wins were the fourth-most in the league, as they became just the fourth team in NBA history to start 0-3 and still reach 56 wins. They also extended their streak of 50-win seasons to five straight (the longest active run in the league) and reached at least 56 wins for the fourth time in that span.
87 - Consecutive days holding the No.2 seed in the East to end the season
The Celtics (12-9) sat as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference on December 2. By January 5, after a 12-3 surge, they had climbed all the way to the No. 2 seed.
From there, they traded positioning with the Knicks briefly before reclaiming the No. 2 spot on January 15 and never dropping below it again, only temporarily sharing a tie with New York. The Celtics have now finished as a No. 2 seed or better in five consecutive seasons.
+7.0 - Average scoring margin
The Celtics outscored opponents by 631 points, the fourth-best mark in the league. Of their 56 wins, 38 came by double digits (third-most in the NBA), including 17 by 20 or more points (fourth-most), 11 by 25 or more (fourth-most), and six by 30 or more points (third-most). Nine of those victories were wire-to-wire.
On the flip side, they were consistently competitive every night, finishing tied for the fewest losses by more than 10 points in the league and dropping just three games by 20 or more points all season.
5 - Losses to teams below .500
The Celtics rarely played down to their competition, going 25–5 against teams below .500 and 31–21 against teams at .500 or better.
2 - NBA teams that finished in the top five in offensive, defense, and net rating
The Celtics were one of the most efficient teams in basketball on both ends of the floor, joining the San Antonio Spurs as the only two teams to finish the season in the top five in offensive, defensive, and net rating.
Boston posted a 120.0 offensive rating (second in the NBA), a 111.7 defensive rating (fourth), and an 8.3 net rating (fourth).
Under head coach Joe Mazzulla, the Celtics have now finished top five in both offensive and defensive rating in each of his four seasons at the helm.
107.2 - Points allowed per game, the fewest in the NBA
The Celtics allowed the fewest points per game in the league this season, surrendering just 107.2. Opponents shot only 44.2% against Boston, the second-worst mark in the NBA.
They held teams to 100 points or fewer in 22 games (26.8% of their schedule), a remarkable feat in today’s NBA.
Boston has now finished in the top five in fewest points allowed per game in five consecutive seasons.
38-5 - Record when shooting 36% or better from three
For the second consecutive season, the league average for three-point percentage in the NBA was 36.0%. When the Celtics shot league average or better from three this season, they went 38-5.
Furthermore, they were 41-7 when making the same or more threes than their opponent, and 35-8 when making at least 15 three-pointers.
1,014 - Turnovers, the fewest in the NBA
The Celtics finished with the fewest total turnovers in the NBA at 1,014 (12.4 per game).
Protecting the basketball has been a defining trait of Joe Mazzulla–coached teams. Since he took over, the Celtics have ranked seventh, first, and second in turnover percentage. This season, they posted a 12.9% turnover rate, the third-lowest mark in the NBA.
They have now finished top two in fewest total turnovers in each of the last three seasons.
71.0% - Defensive rebounding percentage, tied for fifth in the NBA
If someone told you before the season that the Celtics would be a top-10 defensive rebounding team, you would have called them crazy.
Yet they ended the year with a 71.0% defensive rebounding percentage, tied for fifth-best in the league.
It’s a far cry from the early weeks of the season, when Mazzulla was pulling players who gave up offensive boards, and late-game rebounds repeatedly swung outcomes against them. That version of the team feels like a distant memory.
They opened the season ranked 28th in defensive rebounding percentage in October (64.7%) and 26th in November (67.0%), climbed to 18th in December (68.3%), then surged into the top 10 in January (71.7%). By season’s end, they had risen to second in both February (74.2%) and March (75.7%).
They finished 43-12 when outrebounding their opponents and held teams to just 14.1 second-chance points per game, the sixth-fewest in the NBA.
33.9% - Offensive rebounding percentage, sixth in the NBA
Offensive rebounding was a key part of the Celtics’ identity this season, and they executed it at a high level.
They posted a 33.9% offensive rebounding percentage, good for sixth-best in the NBA, which translated into 16.9 second-chance points per game, the fifth-most in the league. Boston was also one of just eight teams to record 1,000 or more offensive rebounds, finishing with 1,025.
Six different Celtics – Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, Nikola Vucevic, Jordan Walsh, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White – averaged at least one offensive rebound per game.
9 - Different Celtics set new career-highs in scoring
With all the roster turnover came increased opportunity, and just about every Celtic took advantage.
You could take it a step further and look at the across-the-board production. Boston had eight (!) players set career highs in at least four statistical categories, but for brevity, we’ll focus on scoring.
Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Sam Hauser, Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, and Ron Harper Jr. all set new career highs in scoring average.
The only Celtics who didn’t were Jayson Tatum and Nikola Vucevic, who each played just 16 games, along with Dalano Banton, who appeared in only four games and logged 52 total minutes. Rookies Hugo Gonzalez, Amari Williams, Max Shulga, and John Tonje are excluded.
23- Different starting lineups
Mazzulla has said since training camp that everybody on the roster, 1 through 15, can impact the game.
That showed in the Celtics’ 23 different starting lineups. Nine different players also appeared in at least 68 games (Pritchard, Hauser, White, Scheierman, Queta, Gonzalez, Brown, Garza, and Walsh).
The Celtics’ night-to–night consistency, no matter who was on the floor, was a major strength. They were 43-32 without Tatum, 9-2 without Brown, 4-1 without Derrick White, and 2-1 without Pritchard.
2 - NBA players to average at least 28 points, six rebounds, and five assists
Two players this season averaged at least 28 points, six rebounds, and five assists: Jaylen Brown and Luka Doncic.
It’s a stat line that had previously been reached by only two Celtics in franchise history – Larry Bird (three times) and John Havlicek (1970–71) – and now Brown.
It was a dominant season for Brown, who set career highs in points (28.7), rebounds (6.9), assists (5.1), free throws (6.0), and free throw percentage (79.5%). He led the NBA in field goals made (736), becoming the first Celtic in franchise history to do so, while his 2,038 points ranked third in the league. He also became just the fifth Celtic to average at least 28 points per game, joining Bird, Havlicek, Jayson Tatum, and Isaiah Thomas.
He recorded 64 games with 20 or more points (second-most in the NBA), 35 with 30 or more (third-most), seven with 40 or more (fourth-most), and one 50-point performance.
In 71 games, Brown led the Celtics in scoring 53 times, assists 29 times, rebounds 23 times, blocks 12 times, and steals 12 times.
10 - double-doubles from Jayson Tatum
One of the major reasons the Celtics are among the title favorites is how strong Jayson Tatum has looked since returning from his Achilles injury.
In his 16 games back, he recorded 10 double-doubles, third on the team behind Neemias Queta (17) and Jaylen Brown (14), and added a triple-double.
Tatum averaged 21.8 points, 10.0 rebounds (a career high), 5.3 assists, and 1.4 steals. It marked the first time in his career he averaged a double-double, albeit in a smaller sample. He was one of just three players – alongside Jalen Johnson and Nikola Jokic – to average at least 21 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists during that span, and ranked top 10 in total rebounds since his return.
The Celtics went 13-3 with him in the lineup and 11-2 when both he and Brown played. In games they both started and finished, Boston was 11-1.
186 - Derrick White stocks (steals + blocks)
Although Derrick White struggled with shooting efficiency (career-low 39.4% FG), his defense remained elite.
White finished with 98 blocks and 88 steals, making him one of just two players in the league to reach both marks, alongside Scottie Barnes. He also joined Larry Bird, Reggie Lewis, and Dave Cowens as the only Celtics in franchise history with at least 98 blocks and 88 steals, and became the first Celtic since Kevin Garnett to record at least 75 blocks and 75 steals in a season.
He ranked second among guards in blocks and led all guards in contested shots (550). Opponents shot 43.1% when defended by White, 3.4% below their expected mark. He also led the Eastern Conference in plus-minus (+598) for the third time in the last four seasons, finishing top two in each of the last four.
13.2 – Neemias Queta’s net rating, fourth among players with at least 60 games played
It’s not hyperbolic to say Neemias Queta was one of the most impactful bigs in the NBA. His +13.2 net rating led the Eastern Conference among players with at least 60 games played, trailing only Victor Wembanyama (17.0), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (16.3), and Chet Holmgren (16.1) league-wide.
Queta averaged 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game, nearly doubling his previous career highs. He posted 17 double-doubles, with the Celtics going 14–4 in those games, compared to just two in his career entering the season. He surpassed his combined totals in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks from his first four NBA seasons.
The Portuguese big man was one of just 12 players to record 100 blocks this season, and became only the fifth Celtic in the last 20 years to reach that mark, joining Kendrick Perkins, Al Jefferson, Kristaps Porzingis, and Robert Williams.
He also finished second in screen assists with 274, trailing only Rudy Gobert (305).
11- 20-point games off the bench for Payton Pritchard
If he hadn’t started 50 games, Payton Pritchard would have become just the fourth back-to-back Sixth Man of the Year winner in NBA history.
The 28-year-old returned to the bench after the Anfernee Simons trade and immediately picked up where he left off a season ago. In 29 games as a reserve, he averaged 17.2 points (47.7% FG, 42.9% 3PT), 5.0 assists, and 3.3 rebounds. His seven 25-plus-point games off the bench led all reserves, while his two 30-point outings were tied for the most in the league.
From the moment he moved back to a reserve role, he led all bench players in points (499), field goals made (188), three-pointers made (87), assists (145), and plus-minus (+228).
12-4 - Record when Jordan Walsh plays 25+ minutes
Entering this season, Jordan Walsh had played just 486 total NBA minutes. He more than doubled that total this year (1,212) and made the most of the opportunity with his defense and rebounding. Oftentimes, he was tasked with guarding the opposing team’s best player, and he handled those assignments well.
Here’s how he fared against some of the league’s top talents:
CJ McCollum: 6–23 FG, 2 turnovers
James Harden: 4–9 FG, 1 turnover
Cade Cunningham: 4–13 FG, 4 turnovers
LaMelo Ball: 3–11 FG, 4 turnovers
Tyrese Maxey: 1–10 FG
Donovan Mitchell: 2–8 FG, 2 turnovers
Scottie Barnes: 1–4 FG, 1 turnover
Kawhi Leonard: 1–5 FG, 1 turnover
Franz Wagner: 2–7 FG, 1 turnover
Karl-Anthony Towns: 3–8 FG, 1 turnover
3 - Celtics to shoot 39% or better from three
Luka Garza (43.3%) led the Celtics in three-point percentage, with Baylor Scheierman (39.9%) and Sam Hauser (39.3%) not far behind.
Each brought a different skill set, but their ability to knock down threes when called upon was a key part of the Celtics’ offense.
11.9 - Hugo Gonzalez’s net rating, leading all rookies with at least 20 games played
Historically, rookies have struggled to find consistent playing time under Joe Mazzulla. JD Davison (2022) appeared in just 12 games in his rookie season, Jordan Walsh (2023) in nine, and Baylor Scheierman (2024) in 31. Of course, part of that is a product of the roster strength on those teams, but Hugo Gonzalez was given a unique opportunity this year.
The 20-year-old appeared in 74 games, one of just 12 rookies to reach at least 70 appearances. In those minutes, he made a strong impact, posting an 11.9 net rating, the best among rookies with at least 20 games played. He also recorded a +246 plus-minus, the third-highest mark among all rookies.
