The Boston Celtics were not supposed to be this good. On top of losing Jayson Tatum to an Achilles injury before the season even started, they also lost several members of their championship core over the offseason, from Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to Al Horford and Luke Kornet.
Even in a weakened Eastern Conference, some thought the depleted Celtics would still struggle to make the playoffs.
Instead, Boston's proven everyone wrong. The Celtics have been one of the best teams in the NBA this year, going 36-19 with the league's fourth-best record and third-best net rating. They've excelled on both ends of the floor, ranking second in offensive rating while allowing the second-fewest points per game on defense.
Boston's taken many people by surprise this season, but not Porzingis.
Kristaps Porzingis on the Celtics’ success this season:
— Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin) February 20, 2026
“Some of the more most pessimistic ones were like ‘this is a lottery team.’ I never thought that… just like the culture that the already have there. It’s not just going to disappear even if you don’t have the JT talent.” pic.twitter.com/Tjc1uvrFoc
"Some of the most pessimistic ones were like ‘this is a lottery team.’ I never thought that… just like the culture that they already have there. It’s not just going to disappear even if you don’t have the JT talent," he told WEEI's Justin Turpin prior to Thursday's game against the Celtics.
Sure enough, Boston proved Porzingis and Al Horford right by throttling the Golden State Warriors on their home court later that evening. The Celtics have now won seven of their last eight games and have shown no signs of slowing down as Tatum nears a potential return.
If he does come back, Boston will be even more dangerous. The Celtics could be playing for a championship in a few months, which nobody would have expected last summer.
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