Boston Celtics playoffs preview: Everything to know ahead of title defense (2025)

The Celtics are finally at the most important part of their season as they open the playoffs Sunday at TD Garden. The defending champions weren’t perfect over the course of a long 82-game regular season, but they still put together 61 wins as they looked every bit a title contender.

The No. 2-seeded Celtics face the No. 7-seeded Magic in the first round. Game 1 is set for 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the Garden. Here’s the full first-round schedule. The Magic have had an up-and-down season, but they’re in the playoffs for the second straight season and boast young, talented players like Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.

“(The Magic) have a DNA about them, they’re well coached, they have a lot of depth,” C’s coach Joe Mazzulla said. “They’ve played, they’ve won a lot of different ways, kind of similar to us not being healthy throughout the season. So there’s stuff you can take from every game. ... So really just focus on the DNA of what they do, who they are, when they’re at their best, and kind of take it from there.”

While the Celtics cruised to the 2024 NBA title — also known as Banner No. 18 — the road back to the NBA Finals looks different. The C’s went 16-3 in the playoffs last year, never losing more than one game in each series. But the league boasts a few other title contenders that could give the Celtics trouble in the coming weeks.

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Here’s everything you need to know as the Celtics enter the 2025 playoffs:

How did they get here?

The Celtics were 61-21 this season for second place in the East, but it wasn’t all smooth for the defending champs. They started 19-4 in a nod to their focus despite coming into the year with a target on their backs. However, there was a lull through December and January, when they were a combined 18-12 in those two months.

There weren’t necessarily massive red flags, but the C’s endured some midseason malaise. While there was some worry in Boston, Warriors coach Steve Kerr shrugged off those concerns. Kerr knows what it’s like to defend a title. He pointed out how he’s seen it many times in the league where teams struggle midway through a long season.

“I’ve seen that a million times in this league,” Kerr said back on Jan. 20. “But what I would expect is come playoff time though, they’ll be ready to roll. They’ve still got guys in their primes, well-oiled machine, well-coached, they know who they are. I wouldn’t worry about the Celtics if I were one of their fans. This is normal.”

Well, the Celtics shook off those inconsistencies. They finished the season winning 29 of their last 35 games despite missing key guys on a consistent basis. So even though there were struggles, the Celtics enter the postseason playing some of their best ball. The Celtics made plenty of history this year, too, setting a new franchise record for road wins and the NBA record for made 3-pointers. That’s a lot of success coming off the 2024 title, which is why the C’s are one of the favorites again this season.

Off the court, the Celtics were also sold to Bill Chisholm. The Grousbeck family announced last summer the team was up for sale. While current co-owner Steve Pagliuca was one of the favorites to land the bid, Chisholm ended up being the guy. The ownership change won’t affect these playoffs, but how Chisholm operates as an owner will be in the spotlight in the coming years.

How’s the roster look?

The current Celtics cast doesn’t look different compared to last playoffs — there’s a good reason for that. Boston brought back virtually its same roster aside from making some tweaks at the margins and depth guys. But otherwise, the Celtics returned their entire rotation as they have a real shot at going back-to-back. No team has won two straight titles since the Warriors did it from 2017-18.

But heading into the playoffs, Jaylen Brown’s bone bruise in his right knee is the main injury concern. Teammates said Brown looks like himself during practices this week, so that’s an optimistic sign. However, if the Celtics make another deep playoff run, that’s a lot of wear and tear on a knee that isn’t at 100%. So that’s something to monitor not just at the start of the playoffs but for the next several weeks.

“Obviously, I haven’t felt my best over the last couple of days, the last couple of weeks, but you kind of just got to roll with the punches, I guess,” Brown said April 4. “It is what it is. It sucks. I wish I could share more details, but whatever my team needs, whatever I can do, whatever I got, I’m gonna give. So I’m looking forward to just taking it one day at a time, and I’m hopeful that some things will improve over the course of this next two weeks or so.”

Elsewhere, the Celtics are relatively healthy. Jrue Holiday is dealing with a pinky issue that’s getting better, and he had some shoulder problems during the regular season. Kristaps Porzingis didn’t deal with any huge injury issues, though he did have a viral illness that knocked him out for a lengthy period. Otherwise, the Celtics are looking healthy heading into the playoffs.

Jayson Tatum had another stellar season, adding to his game as he’s expected to be first-team All-NBA again. Payton Pritchard enjoyed a breakout year as the frontrunner for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award. Derrick White’s clutch 3-point shooting was also a force. And don’t forget about Al Horford, who can still step up even though he turns 39 in a couple months.

Who are the other title contenders?

Even though the Celtics won 61 games, two teams were above them in the overall standings. The Cavaliers, who fell to the C’s in the East semis last year, went 64-18. The Thunder, who swept the C’s in the season series this year, went 68-14. Both teams are major threats should the C’s play them. But they are both relatively unproven in the playoffs, so they can’t skip steps either ahead of potentially facing the Celtics.

The Celtics face the Magic in the first round as Orlando boasts an impressive defense. However, the Magic have struggled offensively this year. Elsewhere in the conference, the Pacers could pose a problem. They pushed the Celtics in the East Finals last season even though it went down as a sweep. The Knicks could be waiting for the Celtics in the second round, but they’ve struggled themselves. The Bucks are getting healthy, though it remains to be seen if they can make another deep run.

The West playoffs should be an entertaining watch as their regular-season finish was also jam-packed. No. 3 through No. 8 in the West were all separated by just two games. The Thunder dominated the regular season, so they’re expected to come out of the West. But teams like the Lakers, Rockets, Nuggets, Clippers, Warriors and more will also vie for the top in what should be a great playoffs.

What else should I keep in mind during the playoffs?

Repeating is hard. There’s a reason no team has done it this decade. To go a step further, if the Celtics make it to the East Finals, they will have done something no defending champion has done since the 2018-19 Warriors: get past the second round. Of the last five NBA champions, all of them lost in the second round the following year.

The playoffs were relatively smooth for the Celtics last season. They dropped a couple Game 2s on their home court, sure, but they never faced an elimination game. That’s not to say the individual games were easy as they won in the clutch. But compared to past playoffs where the C’s played droves of Game 7s, they didn’t get to that stage in 2024. Don’t expect that going into these playoffs as the stakes once again ramp up.

So, appreciate the present and the now. The Celtics have a real shot at going back-to-back for a reason because of their talented roster. Every title run needs bits of luck to get to the mountaintop — all teams can do is put themselves in the best position possible. The Celtics have done that with a deep, likable group that will go down in franchise lore. Now, the question is just how many banners they can hang in Boston.