The Boston Celtics were the dominant team in the NBA last year from start to finish. After closing the regular season with the league's best record, they roared through the playoffs in winning the franchise's 18th league championship. They punished the Miami Heat in five games in the opening round and moved on to the Eastern Conference semifinals with a five-game victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Celtics were expected to engage in a tough Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers, but they raced through that series in four games.
The NBA Finals appeared to be a classic matchup with the explosive Dallas Mavericks led by Luka Doncic, but the Celtics duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum was too much for Doncic & Co. The Celtics won the series in five games, racing out to a 3-0 lead before allowing the Mavs to win their only game before closing out the series at home.
The Celtics have not been the same dominant team in 2024-25 that they were a year ago. General manager Brad Stevens and head coach Joe Mazzulla have a very good team on their hands, but one that has shown it can beaten. The Celtics have a 36-16 record with nearly two-thirds of the season completed, and that is just the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics are 5.5 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers, who own a 41-10 record.
The Celtics don't have to be fearful of the Cavs, but the Cavs and other strong Eastern Conference teams like the Knicks and Pacers don't have to be afraid of the Celtics, either.
Celtics keep their hands in their pockets at NBA trade deadline
Perhaps the Celtics should have addressed the trade deadline with some kind of foresight. Instead of making a deal for a star player or a key bench performer, the Celtics basically stood on the sidelines. They did not acquire any new players and they traded reserve guard Jaden Springer to the Houston Rockets.
Springer had been a hustler and something of a hard-nosed player for the Celtics and had impressed several observers with his tenacious defensive play. However, he was not a key performer for Mazzulla. He averaged 1.7 points and 5.4 minutes per game. The Rockets cut Springer soon after acquiring him.
While huge trades were made throughout the NBA — none bigger than the deal the Mavs made in sending Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for big man Anthony Davis — the Celtics basically told the competition that they did not have to make a key move to make a bid for their 19th championship.
The Celtics are expected to sign veteran Torrey Craig to fill an empty roster spot, and he could become a minor contributor off the bench shortly after he joins the team. However, the 34-year-old forward is not going to play key minutes for Mazzulla.
Celtics will depend on their core
Stevens clearly does not believe that his team has grown weaker in the current season. The 1-2 punch of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown is still dynamic, and the Celtics will depend on those two players to lead the way down the regular-season's home stretch and into the playoffs.
However, there's far more to the Celtics than just their star players. Perhaps the biggest reason they went from contenders to champions a year ago was the presence of guard Jrue Holiday. He proved to be an expert facilitator and defender, and while former Celtic Marcus Smart had many spectacular moments, Holiday was the more consistent player.
In addition to Holiday, Derek White and Al Horford were big-time contributors and big man Kristaps Porzingis did just enough to allow the Celtics to gain separation in a number of games.
Holiday has not been as dynamic this year as he was last year. That's not to say his skills have diminished. He may be able to turn it on in the postseason, but if he can't, the Celtics will have some vulnerability.
Tatum is averaging 26.6 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, while the hard-bodied Brown is right behind with 23.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. These two can lead the way, but they can't do it alone. They will need major contributions from the foursome of Holiday, White, Horford and Porzingis.
If the Celtics don't get it, their goal of winning back-to-back championships will go unfulfilled. Their biggest mistake may be doing next to nothing at the trade deadline and relying on their existing veteran cast to bring home another title.
