Predicting the 2024-25 win total for the Celtics

Ramp to Camp: Predicting the Celtics’ 2024-25 Win Total originally appeared on NBC Sports BostonThe 2023-24 Boston Celtics achieved their fourth-highest win total ever during that season, totalling 85 wins to finish fourth-best all time in team history. What has this group in mind as they take aim at an encore performance? For our fifth installment of Ramp to Camp 2024 series, we challenged our panel with an end-of-the-week task: predict their 2024-25 win total and their placement within the Eastern Conference seeding rankings. (Check out previous installments of Ramp to Camp here. )Our panel was optimistic in their assessment of the Celtics staying atop of the East Division; however, their win total predictions showed some decrease from last season. Boston posted 64 wins during 2023-24 season, placing fourth among franchises from 1972-73 (68 wins), 1985-86 (67), and 2007-08 (66). But half of our panel believes their wins total will decline substantially this season. Reasoning behind their decision makes sense: without Kristaps Porzingis to open the season and with an improved Eastern Conference already established as competition for June’s championship already fiercer, complacency may well set in before reaching ultimate victory is reached. In addition, history suggests there could be an inevitable dip in performance during 2017. 1973-74 Boston Celtics won 56 games while 1986-87 team won 59; yet we find 2008-2009 Celtics very interesting as an comparison point. And this group offers a path toward maintaining an impressive win total. Like their 2007-08 counterparts, these Celtics won an NBA title after cobbling together an outstanding collection of talent in just their inaugural season and brought back very similar rosters for each campaign. 2008-09 squad without James Posey retained its starting five of Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins and recorded an amazing 19 game win streak to achieve 27-2 record before losing Christmas Day match-up against Los Angeles Lakers. Boston was 41-9 after another 12-game win streak spanned into early February, putting them on pace to complete a 67-win campaign before the All-Star break. Unfortunately, disaster struck in late February when Kevin Garnett suffered right knee ligament damage while competing in Utah and missed 13 consecutive games before eventually trying to return late March. He ultimately decided not to play for the remainder of the season. The Celtics suffered an embarrassing seven-game sweep to Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Although 2007-08 team is widely revered due to raising Banner 17, shortly after acquiring Garnett and Ray Allen; its successor may actually have been even superior. If Garnett remains healthy, one might ponder whether the Celtics challenge their franchise win total record and ultimately capture another championship title. So this means the 2024-25 Celtics do not necessarily need to experience any drastic decreases in wins this season. As much as it would be ideal, having to win without Porzingis from the beginning might prove challenging for this team, they still know how to achieve victory without him. This team can draw upon the continuity and chemistry established last season to start strong this time around, potentially returning them to first place in the Eastern Conference once more. Based on those performances alone, we project them at 62-20 and first-place finishes again this season. One step back would still be an impressive win total for our franchise’s history, though mental toughness will need to remain just as crucial in preventing losing streaks as last season, but talent alone should propel them past 60 wins this time around. Here is what our panel predicts for 2017-2018: