Celtics Have an Unbelievable Game Streak Going Back Ten Seasons

Boston has the receipts to prove its longevity.

Jun 17, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) and guard Jaylen Brown (7) celebrates with the Larry O’Brian Trophy after beating the Dallas Mavericks in game five of the 2024 NBA Finals to win the NBA Championship at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images / Peter Casey-Imagn Images

The Boston Celtics don't like to lose.

That's essentially been the case since then-team president Danny Ainge was in charge and then-team head coach Brad Stevens was roaming the sidelines for his second season, 2014-15. That year, Boston finished 40-42 behind the efforts of then-rising All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas and saw themselves swept by the East's eventual NBA Finals reps, the loaded Cleveland Cavaliers.

Stevens has since supplanted Ainge as Boston's main front office decision maker, while Ainge is accruing draft picks and racking up losses running the Utah Jazz. Under Stevens' tutelage, the Celtics have won a title and appeared in one NBA Finals — albeit while guided there by two players Ainge drafted, five-time All-Star power forward Jayson Tatum and three-time All-Star swingman Jaylen Brown.

2014-15 is also notable for another reason.

Per longtime Celtics broadcast voice Sean Grande, it marks the last time the team lost five games in a row, a remarkable testament to the club's extended quality. That was 812 games ago. It's been 278 games since the team last dropped four straight games, which per Grande happened in 2021. Boston's last three-game skid happened 127 contests ago. What's perhaps craziest, though, and a testament to their quality, is that the Celtics haven't even lost two consecutive contests in a whopping 31 games (i.e. since the end of the team's 2023-24 championship season).

Boston is currently 22-7 on the year, and if recent history is any indication, the team should rebound from its narrow (and uncharacteristic) 108-104 loss to the Orlando Magic suffered on Monday night sans an ailing Tatum and secure a victory against the 10-17 Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, in a Christmas clash that could wind up being painfully one-sided rather quickly. The 76ers, boasting a "Big Three" of 2024 All-Stars Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, were expected to join Boston amidst the ranks of Eastern Conference contenders this year. Instead, they've been hurt and looked disjointed even when everyone has been available.

Stevens' Celtics, meanwhile, are a well-oiled machine. With Tatum leveling up to MVP heights and Brown looking ready to nab his second All-NBA berth, All-Defensive guards Jrue Holiday and Derrick White appear similarly keyed-in, as does a newly healthy Kristaps Porzingis. Reserves Payton Pritchard and Al Horford round out a lethal, two-way top seven. Pritchard looks to be the heavy favorite to win Sixth Man of the Year honors.

This team is stacked.

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