After winning 64 games last season, the Boston Celtics face a tough task when trying to build on their regular-season success. They will enter the season without Kristaps Porzingis, who is expected to miss the opening months as he recovers from surgery. The Celtics will also face the pressure of trying to retain their NBA championship.
In a recent article by Bleacher Report, the staff writers share their reasoning as to why the Celtics should take a slight step back in the coming season despite still being favored to win the 2025 NBA Championship once the roster is back to full health.
“Consider the Boston Celtics a casualty of their own success,” The staff writers wrote. “Its continuity alone is enough to declare its championship stock in better shape compared to last year. But it’s unfair, even irrational, to expect a generationally good regular-season team to level up its dominance while missing a critical rotation piece. Especially when they have no business caring about anything other than preserving itself for a (totally plausible, if not likely) championship repeat.”
Joe Mazzulla’s team has built their identity on the defensive end. Yes, they shoot a lot of perimeter jumpers, but when the chips are down, it’s their rearguard that emerges as their strongest point. As such, Boston should be aiming for another 60+ win season.
The #Celtics are heavy favorites to repeat next year – but which team could stop them in the 2025 NBA Finals?@CAlmanza1007 of Thunder Wire joins @CelticsLab
to talk the threats of the West.📺: https://t.co/ehf7S7Yb0J
🎧: https://t.co/4NK9ROk0Dp⚡️ by @Gametime pic.twitter.com/3yvJV5zvcy
— Celtics Lab Podcast (@CelticsLab) July 18, 2024
Nevertheless, health will be a major factor in their pursuit of a second straight first-seed finish in the Eastern Conference. Teams around them have improved during the summer.
Still, none of that will matter if the City of Boston is organizing another pride in just under a year’s time.
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