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 17 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 (64–18) in the NBA and proceeded through the playoffs in dominant fashion. The Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in five games during the NBA Finals, the franchise's 18th championship, breaking a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers to hold the NBA record for most championships. The result was the most dominant Celtics championship run since 1965, with only three losses in the playoffs and a season total of 80 wins, the second-best mark in franchise history.[1]
Following their NBA Finals victory, multiple commentators considered the 2023–24 Celtics to be among the best teams in NBA history.[2][3][4] With a playoff record of 16–3, the Celtics are second only to the 2016–17 Golden State Warriors for the best postseason record since all four NBA playoff rounds became best-of-seven contests in 2003.[5]
This was the Celtics' first season without veteran Celtic and point guard Marcus Smart since 2014. In June 2023, he 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 two-time All-Star guard Jrue Holiday.[6] On March 14, 2024, the Celtics became the first team to clinch a playoff berth with their 117–107 victory over the Phoenix Suns and the Philadelphia 76ers' 114–105 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Six days later, the Celtics won the Atlantic Division championship for the third consecutive season, following a 122–119 victory over the Bucks during a 7-game winning streak. On March 23, the Celtics clinched the #1-seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2017 after they beat the Chicago Bulls.
On April 3, 2024, the Celtics defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder with a 135–100 victory, 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 finished 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, where the Celtics faced the Dallas Mavericks. Upon reaching the Finals, Porziņģis returned to action after missing nearly the entire playoffs up until that point. However, he suffered what was described as a "rare" ankle injury in Game 2 and missed the next two games.[7] The Celtics raced out to a second consecutive 3–0 series lead. After a 122–84 blowout loss in Game 4, they returned to Boston and won Game 5 to win their first title since 2008. The Celtics held the Mavericks to under 100 points in all four wins, an NBA Finals first. The Celtics are also the first team to have the best regular-season record and win the title since the Golden State Warriors in 2017.
The Celtics had a second-round pick in the 2023 NBA draft.[8] The team traded their first-round pick (29th overall) to the Indiana Pacers as part of a deal to acquire Malcolm Brogdon.[9]
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.[10][11]
This was the first regular season where all NBA teams competed in a mid-season tournament setting with the implementation of the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament.[10][11] 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.