The fell short of the Finals in 2023 after the ousted them in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals. General Manager Brad Stevens knew he could upgrade the roster to prepare for another title run this season. He acquired in a three-team trade that saw the "heart and soul" of Boston, , head to the . When the added superstar , Stevens had a countermove at the ready. He traded Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams III to the in defensive stopper . Adding Porziņģis and Holiday to the starting lineup with , , and Derrick White proved to be what the Celtics needed to dominate the regular season. Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser have stepped up in spot starts and consistent bench roles. The doubt surrounding the Celtics is whether they can translate their 57-15 record into a . Boston Denies the Rim The Celtics rank second at 6.5 this season. That number improved from 5.2 blocks per game in 2022-2023, and a lot of that has to do with Porziņģis. While is a capable defender, he is not the same caliber rim protector he was earlier in his career. Porziņģis gives Boston an extra layer of security on top of elite perimeter defense. Less than 5ft 64.2% 60.7% 5-9ft 41.7% 41.1% Notice the communication between White and Porziņģis on this play to deny the an easy bucket off a pick-and-roll. Horford is more adept at defending the perimeter and switching onto guards than Porziņģis, but the Latvian big man is a better shot blocker. If Boston utilizes a big lineup, Horford can slide up to play power forward while Porziņģis covers the opposition's center. This is especially effective against teams that employ non-shooting bigs. Porziņģis' ability to knock down threes enhanced Boston's lethal three-point barrage. The Celtics have taken 42.6 threes per game over the last two seasons. However, this season they are
shooting 39 percent from distance compared to 37.7 percent last season. Replacing Williams with Porziņģis allows to have a threat from deep at all five positions. The Celtics are Strong at the Point of Attack Boston has strong defense outside the paint as well. Smart and White were a formidable defensive duo last season, but Holiday and White have been strong as well. The Celtics rank second with a 110.7 defensive rating. Head Coach Joe Mazulla emphasized how important Holiday is to the . "You have to be the quarterback of everything we do defensively." One of White and Holidays' best strengths is screen navigation. Both guards stay attached to the player they are guarding when going over ball screens. This limits the amount of quality three-point looks off the dribble. White averages 1.3 blocks per game and has 84 rejections on the season, which leads the
NBA among guards. Holiday ranks ninth in the league among guards with 47. Both guards possess good length, standing 6-foot-4-inches tall. Their contests can bother shooters, even if it does not result in a blocked shot. This is depicted in the Celtics' opposing three-point shooting numbers. Corner 3 35.8% 33.3% Above the Break 3 34.3% 35.6% Pritchard and Hausers' Impact Off the Bench Before the season started, one area of weakness for Boston was its depth. However, Pritchard has stepped up as of late. The Celtics have not played their full starting lineup since March 7 due to various injuries. Since that date, Pritchard has averaged 12.7 points and 5.3 assists in 28.4 per game. He has reached the 20-point mark twice in this span. Hauser is a three-point specialist, generating 84.8 percent of his points from beyond the arc. He takes 5.7 threes per game and shoots them at a 43 percent clip. Hauser has cemented himself into the rotation with a career-high 21.4 minutes per game. On March 17 against the , Hauser drained 10 triples in just 23 minutes in his first 30-point game. The Celtics are set up for success in the playoffs with the number one seed. If they can replicate their regular-season conquest, they have what it takes to hoist the 2024 Larry O'Brien Trophy.