When the Boston Celtics host Game 1 of the NBA Finals on June 6, it will be the franchise's 81st playoff game over the past five seasons. No team in league history has played as many postseason games without winning at least one championship in the span.
Aside from a first-round loss in 2021, the Celtics have been a fixture in the later rounds of the NBA playoffs with their core led by Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, who have reached the Eastern Conference finals in four of the past five years and are now heading to their second Finals together. But Boston hasn't been able to translate that success into an 18th banner in the TD Garden.
Yet there are several reasons to believe this year's Celtics, favored over the Dallas Mavericks (or the Minnesota Timberwolves, should they complete a historic comeback from a 3-0 series deficit), can break that title drought by hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy next month.
Let's take a closer look at three indicators that prove this is Boston's best team of this era.