The Boston Celtics officially seized ownership of the NBA’s best record this season, for the first time since 2007-08, by logging a lopsided 135-100 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night at TD Garden.
More importantly, the Celtics clinched home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, ending all debates about which team is the best. There’s no catching the new-look Boston team that already clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference when 11 games remained scheduled, but for now — with six games remaining — bragging rights belong solely to the C’s.
Boston even set an NBA record with a 16th 25-plus-win victory, surpassing the 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks.
With all things considered, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla could take a load management approach by resting starters throughout the final stretch. It also allows for Mazzulla and the coaching staff to get creative and give showcasing opportunities to bench players such as Xavier Tillman, Jaden Springer, Neemias Queta, or even rookie Jordan Walsh — all of whom logged scattered, inconsistent minutes throughout the regular season.
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Considering Mazzulla is a big believer in the hidden learning lessons within any game over the course of an 82-game campaign, it’s very likely Boston won’t hit cruise control with the job done — for now.
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“If celebrating is as much as bring it in, shake everyone’s hand and say, ‘Don’t take it for granted,’ then yeah, we celebrated,” Mazzulla told reporters postgame, per NBC Sports Boston. “I think that’s important to not take that for granted. I think it’s important to have the gratitude for that, it’s very hard to do. We may never be in this position again so you don’t wanna take it for granted. … It’s just a testament to the guys.”
Though the Thunder were without star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the fourth quarter represented exactly what the Celtics failed to prove in back-to-back matchups with the Atlanta Hawks: Boston can stomp on opponents of all calibers at timely moments.
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The Celtics boot-stomped Oklahoma City in the final frame, out-scoring the No. 3 seed in West, 42-17, to turn a head-to-head battle into a runaway Gino Time-worthy blowout. Boston shot a stunningly impressive 15-for-18, including 6-of-8 from three in the last 12 minutes of regulation.
Flipping that switch ensured that the Thunder, a legitimate playoff contender poised for a deep hunt, wouldn’t snag a potential confidence booster and instead be reminded of the gap between Boston and Oklahoma City.
There’s no need for a celebratory night as the Celtics have experienced success in this territory, appearing in five conference finals in the past seven seasons, all with no titles no show for. Nevertheless, crushing the Thunder to earn validation backs what the Boston’s shown since Opening Night.
The same team that hasn’t lost three times consecutively or surrendered the No. 1 seed since Nov. 14 is the undisputed best, no questions asked.
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“We worked hard all season long and we deserve it,” Kristaps Porzingis, who scored a game-high 27 points with 12 rebounds, per NBC Sports Boston. “… We feel good, we feel good. Now everybody’s healthy at the right time. We have a few games left and we wanna finish the season strong no matter who we’re playing against and head into the postseason with the right mindset.”
Now the Celtics await their first-round opponent as the long-awaited hunt for Banner 18 will soon commence.
Featured image via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
