The Boston Celtics had a pleasant bounce again victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night time to maintain a big streak alive: the no-losing streak streak. The Celtics are but to lose back-to-back video games within the 2024-2025 NBA season. Certain, the Celtics are nice at profitable basketball video games, however they’re even higher at not shedding basketball video games, a genius technique a staff just like the Lakers ought to contemplate implementing.
The delivery of the Bounce Again Celtics harkens again to the 2022 playoff run. The Celtics didn’t lose back-to-back video games till they misplaced three straight to the Golden State Warriors within the NBA Finals. Ache, sure, I’m sorry. And the identical was true within the 2023 playoffs till the Miami Warmth utilized the final of their satan magic to hex Caleb Martin with the abilities of Ray Allen for a complete playoff collection, which, whereas it led to a few straight Celtics losses in humiliating style, that satan magic Finals berth is the origin of the crumbling Miami Warmth franchise we see in 2024. Whereas that have inflicted extreme PTSD on Celtics followers, all’s nicely that ends nicely.
That brings us to the 2023-2024 NBA champion Boston Celtics. The Celtics went 64-18 within the common season and 16-3 within the playoffs. I’m certain you do not forget that, but it surely’s at all times good to be reminded. The ‘23-24 Celtics introduced the Bounce Again Celtics into the common season. The Celtics had 4 separate two-game shedding streaks. However zero three-game shedding streaks. This goes again to their technique of not shedding basketball video games.
A 64-win staff typically has a signature profitable streak of 15 or extra wins. Just like the 66-win Heatles, who put collectively a document 27-game profitable streak. Or the 2000 Lakers, who had a 19-game profitable streak. However the 23-24 Celtics’ longest profitable streak was solely 11 straight victories. That is satirically fairly just like the 2008 Celtics, whose longest profitable streak was 10 video games.
As we speak’s model of the Celtics construct their win totals from smaller four-seven-game profitable streaks. I feel this has change into the calling card of this Celtics nucleus. They’re extremely resilient and don’t let losses or unhealthy habits pile up. They imagine in Mazzulla Ball. The Celtics imagine that in the event that they execute their offensive and defensive ideas, the losses will likely be unable to pile up. The Celtics’ refusal to let losses string collectively displays the analytical nature of the staff. Simply win 4 out of each 5 video games and that places you at 65 wins. Easy.
I discussed the Celtics had 4 separate two-game shedding streaks final season. A kind of streaks got here in the direction of the tip of the season when the Celtics had the general one seed nicely and really wrapped up. So, it was actually three. Can they enhance on that this season? I care deeply about no-losing streak streak, and I will likely be monitoring it all through the season, because it speaks to the resolve of this staff. If you happen to can’t beat these Celtics twice in a row, you possible can’t win a playoff collection towards them. I’d love for them to have the ability to make it by way of your entire season with out a single two-game shedding streak; it’s unlikely; even the 72-10 Chicago Bulls had a single blemish on their document. However hey, why not us?
It’s a marvel why groups just like the Lakers, Sixers, and Warmth don’t make use of this technique of not shedding video games. It in all probability has one thing to do with them not having Jayson Tatum on their staff. Alas, I count on the Celtics to proceed implementing their technique of not shedding video games on their approach to one other championship.
