The NBA regular season is starting to come to a halt as teams are preparing for their playoff runs in the 2025 season starting on April 14. The Boston Celtics are currently 2nd in the eastern conference, only trailing behind the Cleveland Cavaliers, with a record of 44-18. The postseason is looking bright so far for the Celtics because if they keep the number 2 seed, they will be able to go against the number 7 seed in the tournament. 

The Celtics have been showing a lot of dominance over other teams this year. They have been placed in a top 5 ranking for both offensive and defensive metrics. However, they have also shown many places they must improve on before their postseason. 

On February 28th, the Celtics faced off against the Cleveland Cavaliers in an amazing and thrilling game. The Celtics were up by a 22 point lead (25-3) in the first quarter of the game causing the Cavaliers to force a timeout. After this, they were able to slowly chisel away the lead leading to a Cavaliers victory 123-116. 

Mr. Wong, the computer graphics teacher at BHS, believes that the Celtics need to solely just focus on maintaining the momentum on offense and defense. 

“I know there's concerns because they do seem to give up big leads and I don't know if that's just sort of a human nature thing when you get a big lead, you just sort of start coasting a little bit, and then you don't put maximum effort, you know, through the whole course of the game,” Mr. Wong, computer graphics teacher, said. 

Bouncing back from that setback, the Celtics defeated the Denver Nuggets 110-103. Al Horford, Celtics center, showed us his elite defense against former league MVP Nikola Jokic. 

However, the team must now show some strength due to 2 starters currently being injured. Jason Tatum has suffered a right shoulder impingement and Jrue Holiday’s mallet finger injury which he is deciding to play through without surgery. 

Now looking at the conferences, the Eastern Conference is starting to improve their current level of play from years prior with the Cavaliers in first, Celtics in second, and Knicks in third. The Celtics will either have to face the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals or one of the better teams in the western conference like the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. 

“So I personally think we should be scared about the Cavs as they’re number one right now,” Leonidas Giamas, a BHS freshman, said about his thoughts on the playoffs. 

The New York Knicks have also been playing pretty well this season. They were the number 2 seed this season but some people may argue otherwise. 

“They've played the Celtics like four or five times,” Tony Lottatore, BHS junior, said. “Now, the Celtics have blown them out every single time. I think if they play in a playoff series, the Celtics are taking- it goes to maybe five, but I think they sweep them. I think the Celtics would sweep them.” 

In conclusion, the Celtics are focused on tuning their flaws a little bit more and making sure players are healthy. The road on the way to their 19th championship title is still in sight. As long as they continue to show grit, determination, depth, and patience, we will likely see ourselves at another Celtics parade this June.