The Boston Celtics have been far and away the best team in the NBA so far this season. They started quickly by winning 11 of their first 13 games, and have been creating a gulf between them and the rest of the teams in the Eastern Conference ever since. Their lead has become so large, in fact, that they have a chance to wrap up the top spot long before the end of the month of March.
Boston Celtics Could Clinch The East This Weekend
The Boston Celtics win their 7th game in a row and clinch the Atlantic Division 🍀👏
They’ve also won 18 of the last 20 📈 pic.twitter.com/NYeov0pHPS
— NBA (@NBA) March 21, 2024
While the Celtics had been at the top for much of the first half of the season, they had a few teams nipping at their heels. The Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers were putting together nice campaigns of their own, and Boston’s lead in the conference was just 2.5 games on January 1st.
But due to injuries to the 76ers and a bit of a mid-season slump from the Bucks, the Celtics began to pull away. By February 1st, the lead had been stretched to 4.5, and it ballooned all the way up to 8 by the first day of March. Now, with 13 games left for the team to play, they are just a couple of wins (or a loss by the Bucks) away from clinching the top spot in the Eastern Conference for good.
As of Thursday morning, Boston holds a commanding 11 game lead on Milwaukee in the East, making their “magic number” just 2. Should they defeat both the Pistons and Bulls on a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday night, then they’ll have the conference wrapped by when they wake up on Sunday morning.
Boston 18-2 In Their Last 20 Games
Jayson Tatum drops 31 as the @celtics win their 7th straight game and clinch the Atlantic Division 👏👏
31 PTS | 4 3PM | 8 REB | 3 STL | 2 BLK
Boston’s won 18 of their last 20 games 🍀📈 pic.twitter.com/M65lonXudN
— NBA (@NBA) March 21, 2024
But they might be able to get there even faster, as a loss by the Bucks works just as well. Milwaukee is a heavy favorite for their game against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday, but they are playing on the second night of a back-to-back and the status of Giannis Antetokounmpo is unknown.
The Celtics picked a good time to get hot. Since February 4th, they have gone 18-2, and are currently riding a 7-game win streak that comes on the heels of an 11-game burst that preceded it. The Cavaliers are in third place and are 12 games back, and the Knicks trail by 13.5 games.
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