2023–24 Boston Celtics season
2023–24 Boston Celtics season | |
---|---|
NBA champions | |
Conference champions | |
Division champions | |
Head coach | Joe Mazzulla |
General manager | Brad Stevens |
Owners | Wyc Grousbeck |
Arena | TD Garden |
Results | |
Record | 64–18 (.780) |
Place | Division: 1st (Atlantic) Conference: 1st (Eastern) |
Playoff finish | NBA Champions (Defeated Mavericks 4–1) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Local media | |
Television | NBC Sports Boston |
Radio | WBZ-FM |
The 2023–24 Boston Celtics season was the franchise's 78th season in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL) missed the playoffs for the first time in 16 years, the Celtics entered the season in second place behind the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB) for the longest active playoffs streak in major North American sports, at nine years (having last missed the playoffs in 2014).
The Celtics had the best record (64 wins) in the NBA and would proceed through the playoffs with none of their games reaching beyond a fifth contest, as the franchise set the NBA record for most championship with 18 by defeating the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. The result was the most comprehensive Celtics championship since 1965, with all other Celtics titles being won in six or seven games to that point.
Season summary
This was the Celtics' first season without veteran Celtic and point guard Marcus Smart since 2014. In June 2023, Smart was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in a three-team trade to acquire forward Kristaps Porziņģis of the Washington Wizards. On October 1, 2023, the Celtics sent guard Malcolm Brogdon, center/forward Robert Williams III, a protected 2024 first-round pick (acquired from the Golden State Warriors), and an unprotected 2029 first-round pick to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for 2-time All-Star guard Jrue Holiday.[1] On March 14, 2024, the Celtics became the first team to clinch a playoff berth with their 117–107 win over the Phoenix Suns and the Philadelphia 76ers’ 114–105 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Six days later, on March 20, the Celtics won the Atlantic Division championship for the third straight season in a row following a 122–119 win over the Milwaukee Bucks during a 7-game winning streak. Three days after clinching the Atlantic Division, the Celtics defeated the Chicago Bulls. As a result, they clinched the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2017.
On April 3, 2024, the Celtics defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder with a 135–100 win, clinching the best record in the NBA and securing a home-court advantage throughout the entire playoffs for the first time since 2008. It was also the first time the Celtics won 60 or more regular season games since 2009. The Celtics would later finish the season with a 64–18 record, 14 games higher than the second-place team in the Atlantic Division and the entire Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks.
In the playoffs, the Celtics dispatched the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers in five games each, and swept the Indiana Pacers to reach their second NBA Finals in three years. During this NBA Finals run, Kristaps Porziņģis would return to action after missing the entire playoffs up until that point before missing Game 3 due to a rare injury he sustained after Game 2 ended. Still, the Celtics nevertheless would get the first three games of the series against the #5 seeded Dallas Mavericks, needing only one more win to not just avoid the first-ever reverse-sweep in NBA history, but also surpass the Lakers once again in NBA Finals championships with their 18th Finals championship acquired. This much-needed win arrived in Game 5, and the Celtics gentleman-swept the Mavericks for the first title since 2008
Draft
Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 35 | Julian Phillips | Small forward | United States | Tennessee (Fr.) |
The Celtics had a second-round pick in the 2023 NBA draft.[2] The team traded their first-round pick (29th overall) to the Indiana Pacers as part of a deal to acquire Malcolm Brogdon.[3]
Roster
Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Standings
Division
Atlantic Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
z – Boston Celtics | 64 | 18 | .780 | – | 37–4 | 27–14 | 15–2 | 82 |
x – New York Knicks | 50 | 32 | .610 | 14.0 | 27–14 | 23–18 | 12–5 | 82 |
x – Philadelphia 76ers | 47 | 35 | .573 | 17.0 | 25–16 | 22–19 | 8–8 | 82 |
Brooklyn Nets | 32 | 50 | .390 | 32.0 | 20–21 | 12–29 | 5–11 | 82 |
Toronto Raptors | 25 | 57 | .305 | 39.0 | 14–27 | 11–30 | 1–15 | 82 |
Conference
Eastern Conference | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
1 | z – Boston Celtics * | 64 | 18 | .780 | – | 82 |
2 | x – New York Knicks | 50 | 32 | .610 | 14.0 | 82 |
3 | y – Milwaukee Bucks * | 49 | 33 | .598 | 15.0 | 82 |
4 | x – Cleveland Cavaliers | 48 | 34 | .585 | 16.0 | 82 |
5 | y – Orlando Magic * | 47 | 35 | .573 | 17.0 | 82 |
6 | x – Indiana Pacers | 47 | 35 | .573 | 17.0 | 82 |
7 | x – Philadelphia 76ers | 47 | 35 | .573 | 17.0 | 82 |
8 | x – Miami Heat | 46 | 36 | .561 | 18.0 | 82 |
9 | pi – Chicago Bulls | 39 | 43 | .476 | 25.0 | 82 |
10 | pi – Atlanta Hawks | 36 | 46 | .439 | 28.0 | 82 |
11 | Brooklyn Nets | 32 | 50 | .390 | 32.0 | 82 |
12 | Toronto Raptors | 25 | 57 | .305 | 39.0 | 82 |
13 | Charlotte Hornets | 21 | 61 | .256 | 43.0 | 82 |
14 | Washington Wizards | 15 | 67 | .183 | 49.0 | 82 |
15 | Detroit Pistons | 14 | 68 | .171 | 50.0 | 82 |
Game log
Preseason
2023 preseason game log Total: 4–1 (home: 2–0; road: 2–1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Preseason: 4–1 (home: 2–0; road: 2–1)
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2023–24 preseason schedule |
Regular season
This became the first regular season where all the NBA teams competed in a mid-season tournament setting due to the implementation of the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament.[4][5]
2023–24 game log Total: 64–18 (Home: 37–4; Road: 27–14) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 3–0 (home: 1–0; road: 2–0)
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November: 11–4 (home: 7–0; road: 4–4)
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December: 12–2 (home: 8–0; road: 4–2)
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January: 11–5 (home: 6–2; road: 5–3)
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February: 9–1 (home: 5–1; road: 4–0)
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March: 12–4 (home: 5–0; road: 7–4)
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April: 6–2 (home: 5–1; road: 1–1)
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2023–24 season schedule |
Playoffs
2024 playoff game log Total: 15–3 (home: 8–2; road: 7–1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First Round: 4–1 (home: 2–1; road: 2–0)
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Conference Semifinals: 4–1 (home: 2–1; road: 2–0)
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Conference Finals: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0)
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NBA Finals: 3–1 (home: 2–0; road: 1–1)
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2024 playoff schedule |
In-Season Tournament
This will be the first regular season where all the NBA teams competed in a mid-season tournament setting due to the implementation of the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament.[4][5] During the in-season tournament period, the Celtics played in Group C of the Eastern Conference with the Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, and Orlando Magic.
East group C
Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Qualification | BOS | ORL | BKN | TOR | CHI | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Boston Celtics | 4 | 3[a] | 1 | 449 | 422 | +27 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 96–113 | 121–107 | 108–105 | 124–97 | |
2 | Orlando Magic | 4 | 3[a] | 1 | 446 | 424 | +22 | 113–96 | — | 104–124 | 126–107 | 103–97 | ||
3 | Brooklyn Nets | 4 | 3[a] | 1 | 455 | 435 | +20 | 107–121 | 124–104 | — | 115–103 | 109–107 | ||
4 | Toronto Raptors | 4 | 1 | 3 | 436 | 457 | −21 | 105–108 | 107–126 | 103–115 | — | 121–108 | ||
5 | Chicago Bulls | 4 | 0 | 4 | 409 | 457 | −48 | 97–124 | 97–103 | 107–109 | 108–121 | — |
2023–24 game log Total: 3–2 (Home: 2–0; Road: 1–2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In-Season Tournament: 3–2 (home: 2–0; road: 1–2)
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Transactions
Trades
June 22, 2023[6] | To Boston Celtics Kristaps Porziņģis (from Washington) Draft rights to Marcus Sasser (No. 25) (from Memphis) 2024 GSW first-round pick (from Memphis) |
To Memphis Grizzlies Marcus Smart (from Boston) |
To Washington Wizards Tyus Jones (from Memphis) Danilo Gallinari (from Boston) Mike Muscala (from Boston) Draft rights to Julian Phillips (No. 35) (from Boston) |
June 22, 2023[7] | To Boston Celtics Draft rights to James Nnaji (No. 31) |
To Detroit Pistons Draft rights to Marcus Sasser (No. 25) |
June 22, 2023[7] | To Boston Celtics Draft rights to Colby Jones (No. 34) Draft rights to Mouhamed Gueye (No. 39) |
To Charlotte Hornets Draft rights to James Nnaji (No. 31) |
June 22, 2023[7] | To Boston Celtics Draft rights to Jordan Walsh (No. 38) 2024 DAL second-round-pick |
To Sacramento Kings Draft rights to Colby Jones (No. 34) |
June 22, 2023[7] | To Boston Celtics 2027 ATL second-round-pick |
To Atlanta Hawks Draft rights to Mouhamed Gueye (No. 39) |
July 5, 2023[8] | To Boston Celtics 2024 second-round pick (from San Antonio)[c] 2025 DAL second-round pick swap (from Dallas) 2030 DAL second-round pick (from Dallas) |
To Dallas Mavericks Grant Williams (from Boston) 2025 TOR second-round pick (From San Antonio) 2028 MIA second-round pick (From San Antonio) |
To San Antonio Spurs Reggie Bullock (from Dallas) 2030 DAL first-round pick swap (from Dallas) |
October 1, 2023[9] | To Boston Celtics Jrue Holiday |
To Portland Trail Blazers Malcolm Brogdon Robert Williams III 2024 GSW first-round pick 2029 BOS first-round pick |
February 7, 2024 [10][11] | To Boston Celtics |
To Memphis Grizzlies Lamar Stevens |
February 8, 2024 [12] | To Boston Celtics |
To Philadelphia 76ers 2024 second-round pick[c] |
February 8, 2024 [13] | To Boston Celtics 2027 protected second-round pick[d] |
To Portland Trail Blazers |
Free agency
Re-signed
Player | Signed |
---|---|
JD Davison[14] | July 9 |
Additions
Player | Signed | Former Team |
---|---|---|
Oshae Brissett[14] | June 30 | Indiana Pacers |
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk[14] | August 31 | Charlotte Hornets |
Neemias Queta[14] | September 19 | Sacramento Kings |
Drew Peterson[14] | December 13 | Sioux Falls Skyforce |
Subtractions
Player | Reason | New Team |
---|---|---|
Dalano Banton | Traded | Portland Trail Blazers |
Lamar Stevens | Traded | Memphis Grizzlies |
Nathan Knight | Waived | Motor City Cruise |
Wenyen Gabriel | Waived | Wisconsin Herd |
Notes
- ^ The most favorable of the picks originally belonging to Detroit, Golden State and Washington.
- ^ The most favorable of the picks originally belonging to Portland, New York, New Orleans and Minnesota.
- ^ a b The more favorable of the picks originally belonging to Chicago and New Orleans.
- ^ The less favorable of the picks originally belonging to New Orleans and Portland, if No. 56–60.
References
- ^ "Celtics load up, get All-Star Holiday from Blazers". October 2023.
- ^ "2023 NBA Draft: Complete 1-58 order of picks". NBA.com. June 8, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ "Celtics officially acquire Malcolm Brogdon from Pacers". NBA.com. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ a b "NBA officially unveils format, groups for new in-season tournament". ESPN. July 8, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ a b "In-Season Tournament 101: Rules, format and how it works". National Basketball Association. July 8, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "Boston Celtics Acquire Kristaps Porzingis". NBA.com. June 23, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "2023 NBA Draft trade tracker: Full list of deals with Chris Paul on the move, Damian Lillard staying put". CBSSports.com. June 23, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
- ^ "Mavericks land Grant Williams in 3-team sign-and-trade deal". NBA.com. July 12, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
- ^ "Celtics acquire Jrue Holiday from Blazers". NBA.com. October 1, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
- ^ "Boston Celtics Acquire Tillman". NBA.com. February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ "Memphis Grizzlies complete trade with Boston Celtics". NBA.com. February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ "Boston Celtics Acquire Springer". NBA.com. February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
- ^ "Trail Blazers Acquire Dalano Banton From Celtics". NBA.com. February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "NBA Player Movement 2023". NBA.com. Retrieved February 10, 2024.