The Celtics have been exceptional this season. On Tuesday, the Boston Celtics recorded a 118-110 win over the Brooklyn Nets, extending their winning streak to a league-best five games. They are 42-12, the best record in the league by a margin of four wins. They lead the Eastern Conference by six games and will likely start the playoffs as the #1 seed. All the records and domination of this team have drawn similarities to the title-winning 2008 roster.
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The key to their success has been superstar forward Jayson Tatum‘s impeccable form. The 25-year-old is averaging 27.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists this season. He’s been the most critical player on offense for the Celtics, leading the team in scoring in 30 games. He played 40 of the Celtics’ first 43 games this year and was the leading scorer 20 times.
However, over the last 11 games, Tatum has cemented his position as the first option on offense for the Celtics. He’s led them in scoring ten of 11 games, and they have won nine games. Tatum is averaging 28.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in that span and has entered the MVP conversation. Former Los Angeles Lakers star Nick Young has advocated for the Celtics star to win the award on X(formerly called Twitter) writing,
“JASON TATUM (sic) the light skin mamba is this [year’s] MVP I never seen someone get so disrespected in my life how do yall keep putting the joker (Nikola Jokic) and all these other [people] over him.”
If Tatum and the Celtics continue their impressive form until the end of the regular season, it’ll be hard to argue against him winning the MVP award. However, he’s undoubtedly more focused on winning the NBA title than adding individual accolades to his resume.
How close are the 2024 Boston Celtics to 2008?
The 2024 Celtics are keeping pace with the 2008 Celtics, who won the franchise’s last NBA title. Like the 2024 Celtics, they started the year 42-12 but went 24-3 the rest of the way to finish 66-16. The 2024 Celtics will have their work cut out to emulate that feat.
The 2024 Celtics are a better team offensively. They have three players averaging over 20 points per game, with Tatum leading the way with 27.3. Paul Pierce was the 2008 Celtics’ leading scorer, averaging 19.6 points per game. However, it’s worth noting that they attempted only 19.1 three-pointers per game, while the 2024 Celtics are averaging a jaw-dropping 42.6 attempts from beyond the arc. Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis, the 2024 Celtics’ top-three scorer, combine for 19.3 three-point attempts per game, more than the 2008 Celtics roster.
The title-winning Celtics roster were defensive behemoths. They held opponents to only 89.9 points per game, the joint-lowest in the league, tied with the Detroit Pistons. The 2008 Celtics’ defensive rating of 98.9 is the third-best since the 2005-06 season, trailing only the 2011-12 Celtics (98.2) and the 2011-12 Chicago Bulls (98.3).
The 2024 Celtics have a defensive rating of 111.9, which ranks third in the league this season. They have a top-three defense and the league’s best offense. The 2008 Celtics had the best defense but their offense ranked only 10th in the league. The current roster is statistically superior to the franchise’s last title-winning roster. However, it remains to be seen if they can emulate them and bring the Larry O’Brien trophy back to Boston after 16 years.
