The final push before the playoffs is here, but it's not very dramatic for the Boston Celtics. In fact, they've already clinched the NBA's best record with six games left on the schedule and established themselves as the team to beat.
Since the Celtics are the betting favorite to bring home a championship, every other team is eager to shock the world and upset them in the postseason. This isn't a new phenomenon either, as the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors and the 2021-22 Phoenix Suns were dominant throughout their respective regular seasons, yet both failed to win it all.
So, what can the 2023-24 Celtics learn from their No. 1 overall seed predecessors? Let's take a look at three lessons from past postseasons and see how Boston can avoid a potential flameout in 2024.
Celtics must limit extra possessions
One of the main reasons the Celtics have been so successful during the regular season is their high-powered offense.
They have 2024 All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown running the show while center Kristaps Porzingis and two-way guards Derrick White and Jrue Holiday round out the potent starting five. With this talented lineup and a heavy dosage of 3-pointers, Boston can rule the perimeter and stretch out opposing defenses.
Additionally, an underrated part of why the Celtics have the best offensive rating in the league is their low turnover rate. They only average 12 turnovers per game, which is the second-best mark in the NBA, barely behind the Philadelphia 76ers (11.9 turnovers per game). Since the C's rebound well and don't squander many possessions, they're able to find more quality shots and maintain the flow of their offense.
Turning it over in bunches and giving an opponent extra possessions is a surefire way to get upset, especially in the playoffs. For instance, the 2021-22 Suns were fresh off an appearance in the NBA Finals and were eager to return, setting a franchise record for most wins in a regular season by going 64-18 overall.
However, their postseason went horribly wrong. The Suns fell in the second round to the Dallas Mavericks, losing in seven games after going up 2-0 to start. Although Phoenix swept the regular season series 3-0, they gave the Mavs too many chances via turnovers. Dallas had just 74 total turnovers in that seven-game battle, while Phoenix had a whopping 105.
As for the 2015-16 Warriors, the turnover differential wasn't as problematic. Yet, the owners of the best regular season record in league history (73-9) gave the Cleveland Cavaliers a fair amount of extra possessions in the NBA Finals. The Warriors had 72 offensive rebounds to the Cavs' 82 in that thrilling series.
LeBron James, while rocking an Undertaker shirt, gave us this classic meme as he and the Cavs trailed 3-1 to the Warriors in the NBA Finals on this day in 2016 đ
The rest is history đ pic.twitter.com/DibBsMrhZ5
â ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 12, 2023
If any modern NBA team is given multiple chances to score, odds are they're going to convert more often than not. Therefore, it'll be important for the Celtics to keep turnovers to a minimum and to control the glass on both ends of the floor.
Boston needs to make habit of protecting homecourt
The C's receive a lot of energy from the fans at TD Garden, which helps explain why they're a stellar 33-3 at home.
Unfortunately, home court didn't mean much for the Celtics last postseason. They went 5-6 at TD Garden and were eliminated there, too, falling on the parquet to the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Similarly, the 2015-16 Warriors were a mind-boggling 39-2 at home during the regular season. However, they lost three home games in the playoffs alone, including Game 7 of the NBA Finals. As for the 2021-22 Suns, they were a respectable 32-9 in Phoenix during the regular season, but suffered a 123-90 beatdown to Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks on their home floor in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
Home losses happen, yet having another below .500 postseason record at the TD Garden would be disastrous for the Green Team. If the Celtics want to make it to the promised land, they'll have to work extra hard in front of their own crowd, especially since they'll have home court throughout the playoffs.
It's imperative Celtics take care of business early
Winning early on is a pretty self-explanatory benefit, yet Boston didn't do it last postseason.
The Celtics went six games with the Atlanta Hawks in the first round and were then pushed to seven games versus Philly in the following series. These extended series can tire a team out and prevent them from making the long haul to the Finals.
The 2021-22 Suns were victim to a similar pattern, as they had a six-game series against the eighth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans. Injuries played a role in that, but the Suns dropping a couple of contests to an inferior team let future opponents know they were vulnerable, not an unstoppable 64-win juggernaut.
Golden State didn't have a perfect run to the 2016 Finals, either, as they failed to sweep their first two opponents and then played seven games in the Western Conference Finals against an Oklahoma City Thunder team led by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Of course, not holding a spotless playoff record isn't the end of the world, but making mistakes in the early rounds can be a troubling sign of things to come.
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