It’s official: The Boston Celtics are the 2023-24 regular season’s top squad.
With a 135-100 hammering of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, their 60th victory of the campaign, the Celtics have mathematically guaranteed they’ll finish with the best record in the league.
“Sounds pretty good to me,” forward Kristaps Porzingis, who finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and five blocks, told NBC Sports’ Abby Chin postgame. “We worked hard all season long … we deserve it.”
It’s the first time Boston will enter the postseason with the NBA’s best overall mark since 2007-08. That season’s Celtics squad – led by the Big Three of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett – tallied 66 regular-season wins before defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the Finals to claim their 17th title and their first since 1986.
Boston hasn’t won the NBA championship since.
This year’s Celtics can still equal that 2007-08 side’s regular-season tally but would have to win all six of their remaining games. Five of those are at home, where Joe Mazzulla’s squad has lost just three times all year. However, their one outlying road contest is against the Milwaukee Bucks next Tuesday; Boston lost at Milwaukee on Jan. 11, with Jaylen Brown the only Celtics starter to score in double digits in a 33-point loss.
