Apr 11, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Jaylen Sims (33) shoots against Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta (88) and forward Baylor Scheierman (55) during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Wild Numbers May Forecast Celtics Playoff Fate

Originally posted on Boston Celtics on SI
By James Brizuela | Last updated Apr 15, 2025 2:00 PM ET

The Boston Celtics have been a storied franchise throughout their existence. They’ve won 18 championships in their history, with multiple dynasties amounting to that number.

The team started off dominant with Bill Russell and Bob Cousy, then moved on to the Larry Bird era, then came the 2008 Celtics with the Big Three and Rondo.

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The current iteration of the Celtics already won the championship last year, and numbers suggest they have a good shot of winning it all again this year and joining the ranks among those top historical teams in franchise history.

Including this year’s team and last year’s team, the Celtics have had five teams in franchise history post a scoring differential of +9.0 or better. Each of the other four teams won the NBA championship, a good sign for this year’s team.

The 2024-25 Celtics became just the 5th team in franchise history to post a scoring differential of +9.0 or better.

2023-24 - +11.3
2007-08 - +10.2
1985-86 - +9.4
1961-62 - +9.2
** 2024-25 - +9.1

Each of the previous 4 went on to win the NBA Finals.
— Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin) April 14, 2025

These numbers are fascinating for multiple reasons. Firstly, it is interesting to see just how dominant last year’s team was in the regular season. They didn’t just meet the +9.0 threshold, they destroyed it, earning them the top-scoring differential in franchise history by a full point.

This year’s team hasn’t been quite as good in the regular season but still stacks up with the top Bill Russell team and the top Larry Bird team.

Another interesting tidbit from looking at the score differential stat on ESPN is the 2007-2008 Celtics were easily the top team in the NBA in scoring margin at 10.2. However, while this year’s Celtics meet the 9.0 threshold, there are two teams above them in scoring margin the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

That means that on the surface, this team has the talent to win the title, but a team of their caliber is somehow not the best in the league.

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That differs from last year’s team as well, whose scoring margin of 11.3 was nearly four points better than the next-highest team.

The stats don’t go back further than 2001, so there is no way to look at the other Celtics teams on the list with a quick glance. However, it is likely those teams stacked up to the rest of the league in a similar fashion as last year’s Celtics.

While it is interesting to see how this year’s Celtics falls in line with some of the best teams in franchise history, which says a lot, it is also noteworthy that this year’s team has possibly the stiffest competition it has ever had at the top of the league.

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This article first appeared on Boston Celtics on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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