3 Bold Celtics Predictions Coming Out of the All-Star Break

The stretch from the end of All-Star Weekend to early April is one of the NBA's best. During this span of time, we see teams start to gel after making moves at the trade deadline, as well as playoff teams turning their intensity up to prepare for April through June.

The reigning NBA Champion Boston Celtics are finding their stride at the right time, winning 9 of their last 10 games with convincing wins over two East contenders - the Knicks and Cavaliers.

Jayson Tatum is playing arguably the best basketball of his career and Payton Pritchard is running away with the Sixth Man of the Year Award. This team is clicking on all cylinders as of late, but is still 6.5 games back of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the first seed in the East.

While Celtics Nation knows how good this team is and what they're capable of come playoff time, there are always storylines during the back half of the season that can catch fans off guard.

As Boston chases Banner 19, here are some bold predictions for the Celtics heading into the month of March.

1. Celtics Will Push Cavaliers to Brink for 1st Seed and Finish with 60+ Wins

Everyone knows how important home-court advantage is in the playoffs. Teams with the 1st seed in the NBA playoffs have a very successful track record when it comes to winning the championship.

According to landofbasketball.com, the 1st seed has produced 52 NBA Champions since 1950, most recently the Celtics last year and the Denver Nuggets in 2023.

While the Celtics have been the best team on the road in the NBA this season, playing in TD Garden for Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 is obviously a huge advantage for the Celtics. In front of raucous crowds, the Celtics step their game up when it matters most.

Last season, the Celtics went 9-2 at home in the playoffs and were able to celebrate their 18th Championship on home court.

TD Garden has been one of the hardest places to play according to many Celtics opponents over the years, as the crowd noise, energy and atmosphere have proved to be deafening for opposing teams.

The Cavaliers have a 6.5-game cushion over Boston for the first seed heading into March, but the Celtics are winning the season series 2-1 over Cleveland. The final Celtics-Cavaliers regular season match-up is set for Friday, February 28th at TD Garden.

Reaching 60 wins would mean the Celtics have to go 18-6 over their last 24 games of the season.

A favorable March schedule has the Celtics facing the Nets twice, Jazz twice, Trail Blazers twice and the 76ers once. In April, Boston will face the Wizards once and Hornets twice to end the regular season.

While every game is winnable for this Celtics team, their toughest tests will come against the Cavaliers, Nuggets, Lakers, Thunder and Knicks throughout the end of February, March and April.

Giving credit to Cleveland and their dominant season to date, it would be a tall task for Boston to have the 1-seed when the playoffs begin, but who knows? Cleveland could endure a slump like Boston did in December and January.

Home court advantage would be nice to have for the playoffs, playing on the road doesn't phase this Celtics team, as they even had a better record on the road than at home during last year's dominant championship run.