Anytime something is accomplished for the first time in Celtics franchise history, it should raise an eyebrow.
They are in their 79th season. They have played nearly 7,000 games and have seen a record 41 players or coaches inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The history is rich, and firsts are rare, making them that much more unique.
With their 117-103 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, the Celtics completed their first-ever 6-0 road trip, topping the previous best—a 5-0 road trip by the 1972-73 Celtics in February 1973. That squad, led by head coach Tommy Heinsohn, featured John Havlicek as the leading scorer, Dave Cowens in his MVP season, and All-Star JoJo White.
The ‘72-73 team went on to win 32 road games—a franchise record that has stood for over 50 years. It was matched two seasons later by another Heinsohn-led squad, once again anchored by Havlicek, Cowens, and White. Now, the 2024-25 Celtics have joined that exclusive club, also reaching 32 road wins. With two games left on the road, they have a chance to break the record—and if they win both, they’ll tie the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors for the most road wins in NBA history. Notably, the 2015-16 Warriors were the last team to post a 6-0 (or better) road trip before Boston.
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“We’ve been very focused – even last year, we were good [on the road], especially in the playoffs. I felt like we did a really good job controlling the temp and being able to play a certain way,” Al Horford said. “It’s pretty special. The way that we’re playing and some of the things that we are doing.”
The Celtics dominated throughout the road trip, winning all six games by double digits with an average margin of victory of 17.8 points. They used four different starting lineups and missed at least one of their top six players in every game, yet the results were the same. Their streak of six straight double-digit road wins ties a franchise record set by last year’s team. Overall, the Celtics have won 21 of their last 25 road games, including 14 of their last 15.
“I would venture to say our guys are good everywhere,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said with a smile when asked about the road dominance. “Every year just takes on a different identity and different challenges. This year – and we never talk about it – that just kind of became what it is. We try to play consistent basketball. We’re [24-12] at home. So it’s really just a difference of four or five games. It’s not that big of a difference. It’s more about playing consistent basketball. Each year, you develop different strengths, especially with the same team. And this year, it just happened to be our road mentality.”
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The Celtics are hitting their stride at the perfect time, playing their best and most consistent basketball of the season. They are 25-5 in their last 30 games and 17-3 since the All-Star break. They just wrapped up March with a 14-1 record, beating opponents by an average of 11.6 points per game, and head into April riding a season-long nine-game win streak.
Individually, the stars are aligning.
Jayson Tatum looks every bit like an MVP candidate, averaging 27.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 7.1 assists since the All-Star break. The only other players posting those numbers are Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic. Over that span, Tatum has logged eight double-doubles.
Kristaps Porzingis has been a force since returning, averaging 21.7 points on 54.6% shooting and 41.2% from three while grabbing 7.7 rebounds and adding 2.7 assists and 1.4 blocks per game. Jrue Holiday has been steady as well, shooting 38.6% from three since the break and scoring in double figures seven times in March.
Then there’s Al Horford. Just a few months shy of his 39th birthday, he turned in a team-high 26 points, hitting six threes and grabbing eight rebounds in the win over Memphis. It was the most he’s ever scored off the bench and the third-highest total in his Celtics career. Horford looks ready for another elite postseason run.
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You could keep doing the roster.
That midseason slump from December to January now feels like a distant memory. These Celtics look more like the championship team from last year. Aside from Jaylen Brown’s knee (which has three weeks to rest), there are few concerns heading into the postseason. Throughout that stretch of mediocrity, they stayed focused on peaking at the right time. Now that the time has come, they’re playing their best basketball.
The history shows it—this is a special group. When they go on runs like this, it’s a reminder of just how dominant they can be.
