Expertise: the Boston Celtics’ trump card

There was a time after I questioned the notion that important playoff expertise was essential to win an NBA title.

This take could or could not have coincided with rookie Jayson Tatum and second-year Jaylen Brown main the Boston Celtics to Sport 7 of the Japanese Convention Finals towards Lebron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers, and me attempting to persuade myself that have was overrated. Why couldn’t 19-year-old Jayson Tatum out-duel one of many best gamers within the league’s historical past in a Sport 7?

Six years, one other journey to the ECF, and a Finals loss later, this present period of Boston Celtics basketball is one other reminder that to win the NBA title, important playoff expertise is a prerequisite.

The 2024-2025 Boston Celtics have essentially the most proficient roster within the NBA. They’re additionally essentially the most skilled group within the NBA. I compiled the playoff expertise of the projected top-7 rotation gamers for every of the league’s contenders. Admittedly, I used to be fairly quick and unfastened with the phrase “contender.” For instance, the Lakers are on this checklist. Nevertheless, I needed to incorporate any groups that, even should you squint or shut your eyes fully, you can see profitable the NBA title, in order that we’ve got a extra exhaustive checklist to contemplate:

Right here’s a breakdown of the Celtics top-7 rotation gamers’ profession playoff video games:

If you need the breakdown of what number of playoff video games every participant inside every group’s rotation has performed, the info might be discovered right here.

The Celtics didn’t squeak out the primary spot on the playoff expertise rating. They’re far and away essentially the most skilled playoff group within the league by 129 video games. That’s nearly the totality of Jaylen Brown’s complete postseason profession with Jayson Tatum checking in at 114. Al Horford and, to a lesser extent, Jrue Vacation are doing a little heavy lifting for the Celtics playoff expertise, as veteran leaders typically do.

League stalwarts are carrying the following two groups: LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Draymond Inexperienced. These are iconic gamers. Sadly for them, they’re seemingly not impacting the end result of the 2024-2025 NBA championship.

If we simply take a look at the Jays’ playoff WINS, Jaylen has 74, and Tatum has 68. Eight NBA franchises have but to surpass 66 playoff wins of their complete existence. The 2 Celtic superstars have amassed an absurd playoff resume within the first halves of their careers.

Because it pertains to the veteran expertise and management of Horford and Vacation. Brad Stevens believes that the experience and selflessness of these two gamers may be the Celtics’ most vital benefit. Stevens not often exhibits a lot emotion; one in every of his favorite phrases is “don’t get too excessive and don’t get too low”, however he lit up when discussing this group’s elderstatesmen.

“Should you really need to speak about one of the best vet management within the league, there’s no means anyone’s received us beat there. Nevertheless many groups are good and all the pieces, there’s nobody that’s received us beat in veteran management.”

Within the lead-up to the NBA Finals, there was concern from the nationwide media that the Celtics had not been “battle-tested” earlier than their matchup with the Dallas Mavericks. Nevertheless, this Celtics group had already been by their battles all of the years prior — arguably too many battles should you ask some Celtics followers (me). The excruciating Sport 7 loss to the Miami Warmth within the 2023 Japanese Convention Finals. The agonizing Finals defeat to the Golden State Warriors after going up 2-1 within the sequence and being up 94-90 in Sport 4 with 4:56 left. The irritating Japanese Convention drubbing to the Miami Warmth within the bubble. At the very least the ache of the Sport 7 defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers within the 2017-2018 Japanese Convention Finals was considerably alleviated by exceeding expectations. Apologies if any readers at the moment are experiencing some type of PTSD.

No group within the historical past of the NBA performed extra seven-game sequence in a two-postseason span than the Boston Celtics throughout the 2022 and 2023 playoffs. Fortunately, these brutal experiences can now be considered as stepping stones on the best way to one of the dominant NBA seasons in basketball historical past.

Playoff expertise and roster continuity are vital substances when chasing the purpose of profitable an NBA championship. It’s uncommon for a group to win a title with out amassing a number of playoff scars first. That is true of among the best groups in NBA historical past: the Heatles misplaced to the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. The Warmth would go on to win back-to-back championships after that. Kobe and Shaq misplaced within the second spherical or convention finals of the playoffs three years in a row earlier than rattling off a three-peat. Did I select two examples that concerned each groups profitable back-to-back championships after accruing their playoff scars? In fact. Nevertheless, this iteration of the Boston Celtics shares a number of issues in frequent with these groups – essentially the most expertise, continuity and a wealth of expertise.

There may be little or no that this Celtics group has not been by, regardless of their two finest gamers being within the early phases of their primes. Their mixed expertise, together with their abundance of expertise, will probably be a weapon that no different group within the league can depend upon in the identical means.