Revisiting seven bold Celtics predictions after dominant campaign

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Revisiting seven bold Celtics predictions after dominant campaign originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics wrapped up one of the most dominant regular seasons in NBA history on Sunday.

The Celtics won 64 games, the fourth highest total in franchise history, and finished fifth all-time in point differential, slotting right behind some very lofty company in the 1995-96 Bulls and 2016-17 Warriors.

Right before the start of the 2023-24 season, we offered seven bold predictions for this Celtics team. With a week break while the play-in sorts itself out, it felt like a good time to circle back and check the effectiveness of our crystal ball.

We missed on this one but we don’t feel terrible about it. Given Boston’s first-half domination, you could make a case that the Celtics deserved a third star in Indianapolis. Even then, Derrick White might have made an equally strong case as Porzingis to be there.

Porzingis was even better than anticipated in just about every aspect this season. His presence in the post added a new dimension to Boston’s multi-cylinder offense. He averaged a league-best 1.3 points per play on 3.2 post ups per game and shot a career-best 63.6 percent from the paint overall. Defensively, he was a back-line deterrent who frequently altered shots if opponents were able to slip past the All-Defense backcourt of White and Jrue Holiday.

Maybe most importantly, Porzingis brought an obvious joy to this team with him smiling wide every time he touched the floor. TD Garden fans would roar as he walked to the court for pregame warmups and he’d excitedly wave in every direction.

The Celtics’ starting five, despite a slight midseason dip, was one of the best five-man units in the league, and that group might be the biggest reason for confidence as they start the march toward Banner 18.

Porzingis didn’t hit the 65-game criteria to be included in award consideration but the Celtics worked diligently to keep him upright knowing just how important he is to whatever comes next.

2. Celtics lead the NBA in offensive rating … and set new league record

Nailed this one. The Celtics posted an…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/revisiting-seven-bold-celtics-predictions-145553365.html

Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2024-04-15 14:58:08

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