Celtics Trail Only OKC Thunder In This Revealing Team Stat

According to NBC Sports’ Marc D’Amico, the Boston Celtics are second in the NBA in point differential behind only the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

Full disclosure, Boston’s +7.0 is still far behind OKC’s +12.3, but there’s no one standing between the two clubs.

The Celtics now have the top point differential in the East, and the No. 2 point differential in the NBA behind only the OKC Thunder.

— Marc D'Amico (@Marc_DAmico) February 1, 2026

Boston’s 28-point victory on Sunday over the Milwaukee Bucks certainly helped matters.

The Celtics’ strong point differential is a solid indicator that they’ll have postseason success.

Historically, teams finishing with a top-three net rating or double-digit point differential are statistically dominant and have a high probability of winning the NBA Finals. This favors the Thunder and their +12.3 mark, but all the Celts have to do to reach the Finals is be better than everyone in the East.

Still, history is on the side of the Thunder. Legendary teams, such as the 1995-96 Bulls (+12.2) and 1971-72 Lakers (+12.3), boasted similar point differentials and won the championship.

In recent seasons, the top teams in point differential (like the 2017 Warriors and 2024 Celtics) have followed this pattern to win the championship.

While exceptions exist (e.g., 2011 Dallas Mavericks), a top-5 or top-8 point differential is generally considered a necessity for a championship-level team, as it reflects both offensive and defensive dominance.