Get the latest Boston sports news
Receive updates on your favorite Boston teams, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.
This ESPN stat shows how dominant the Celtics have been lately
The Celtics are now 12-3 in their last 15 games. But that might not be the most impressive part.
Recent Links
The Celtics are coming for a top seed in the Eastern Conference, and no one seems able to stop them at the moment.
Boston (42-28) currently sits fourth overall in the East with 12 games to play. Though they might be too far behind the conference-leading Miami Heat (four games) to claim the No. 1 seed, they have a legitimate chance at gaining the two games of ground on the Milwaukee Bucks for the second seed.
No matter where they end up, though, the Celtics could be a very tough out in the postseason. One could make the claim they’re the best team in the NBA right now.
Advertisement:
In fact, one ESPN metric presents a strong case for that argument.
NBA analyst Kirk Goldsberry’s latest efficiency study of NBA teams over their last 15 games places the Celtics in a league of their own. Though three other teams, including the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves, match Boston’s 12-3 record over their last 15 contests, no team has done it quite as dominantly as the Celtics have.
Goldsberry’s landscape notes Ime Udoka’s squad has the best net rating in the league and also boasts the league’s best defense over that span to go along with the NBA’s fifth-best offense. That last bit is especially encouraging with Jayson Tatum (35.1 points/49.4 field goal percentage/39.7 three-point percentage) taking his game to new heights.
Advertisement:
The Celtics will face a number of playoff-bound opponents as they close out of the season, including the Bucks, Timberwolves, Chicago Bulls, and Memphis Grizzles. If they show up against those teams as they did in Wednesday’s beatdown of the Golden State Warriors, they’ll put the NBA very much on notice heading into the playoffs.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com