5 reasons why the Celtics are in for a tougher playoff run in 2025

Celtics

The Celtics went 16-3 and had a 3-0 lead in the Finals last year. Chances are, this run won’t be as easy.

In all likelihood, the Celtics’ upcoming playoff run will be more difficult than last year.

The Celtics were the undisputed top dogs of the NBA during the last regular season with a sparkling 64-18 record. They ran through the playoffs, while missing Kristaps Porzingis for most of it, and compiled a franchise-best 16-3 postseason record.

The outcome of the Finals against Dallas was never in doubt. Boston snatched a commanding 3-0 lead and eventually closed it out in five games.

This year, the Celtics once again look like contenders. They’re second in the Eastern Conference, and they have as good a shot as anyone to bring home the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Although the Celtics brought back pretty much everyone from last year’s title team, this upcoming postseason could easily prove more treacherous.

Don’t expect the road look so easy this time around, Celtics fans. Here are five reasons why.

Human nature

Repeating as champions is hard. The NBA has crowned a champion each of the last 78 years. There have only been 13 instances when a team has won consecutive titles. It hasn’t been done since Steph Curry and Kevin Durant led the Warriors to back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017.

The Celtics have the most titles in NBA history, and unless you were around to see Bill Russell win eight straight in the 50’s and 60’s, you haven’t seen Boston do it either. Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale never did it. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett didn’t do it. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and company have an opportunity to make history.

It takes a special group to win once, and an even mentally tougher group to do it multiple times in a row.

Cleveland and OKC got better.

Boston’s road to the NBA Finals will likely go through Cleveland again this year.

The Celtics beat the Cavs 4-1 in the second round last year, but the Cavs reinvented themselves after hiring a new coaching Kenny Atkinson.

Fueled by star guard Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs have the most efficient offense in the NBA. They split the season-series with the Celtics.

They have a healthy Jarrett Allen, whom they didn’t have in the series against the Celtics last season. Evan Mobley, who entered the league known primarily for his defense, is almost averaging a double-double. Two-time All-Star point guard Darius Garland is playing some of his best basketball.

And then, if Boston makes it past Cleveland, there’s the possibility of facing the Thunder who have the league’s-best record and swept the Celtics during the regular-season.

The Thunder lead the league in defensive efficiency and net rating. MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 33.5 points against the Celtics this season.

Injury fortunes could shift.

Yes, the Celtics played the bulk of their playoff games without Porzingis last year, but they also had some pretty solid luck when came to running into banged up opponents.

Jimmy Butler missed the entire first-round series against the Heat. Cleveland didn’t have a healthy Allen last year. Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton did not play in Indiana’s elimination game against the Celtics. Luka Doncic was reportedly taking pain-killing shots during the NBA Finals as he dealt with a chest contusion.

None of this takes away from what the Celtics achieved, and you can’t predict injuries. But, those injuries did happen, and made what was a winnable road less difficult.

This season, the Celtics have a healthy Porzingis, but Jaylen Brown has a nagging injury that has him on a minutes restriction. Brown, who was MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals last season, was instrumental in Boston’s success. Having him limited in any way could change things dramatically.

Teams have had time to adjust.

After losing to the Heat in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics added Porzingis and Jrue Holiday to a team that was already one win away from making the NBA Finals.

Porzingis gave the Celtics a inside-outside scoring threat and added rim protection. Jrue Holiday brought championship experience, lockdown defense, and excellent 3-point shooting in 2024. Those two, paired with Boston’s core of Brown, Tatum, and Derrick White, separated the Celtics from the rest of the league.

Teams have had a year to adjust. The Celtics brought back virtually the same roster as last year. Their record shows that teams have been able to make tweaks that have resulted in slightly more success.

The Celtics are streakier from 3-point range.

Last year, the Celtics led the league in 3-point attempts and were second behind Oklahoma City in 3-point shooting percentage.

This year, they’re taking even more threes. They’ve gotten to the point where the majority of shots they take are threes, with an average of 48.5 3-point attempts per game inside of 90 field-goal attempts per game.

But, they’ve slipped down to ninth in 3-point percentage. They’ve picked it up in recent months, but they were in the middle of the pack for a decent portion of the year.

The Celtics rely heavily on the 3-pointer, and there will be nights when the shots don’t fall. The way they respond on those occasions will be crucial during this playoff run.

Khari A. Thompson

Sports Reporter

Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.