Jayson Tatum is suddenly gaining new momentum as the Celtics begin to show something few expected, raising new questions about their trajectory. Propelled by Tatum’s season-high 32 points in just his 11th game since returning from a serious Achilles tear, the Boston Celtics hit a milestone Sunday that no serious NBA expert predicted before the start of the 2025-26 season.
In a typical prediction, ESPN’s Basketball Power Index saw the Celtics as the No. 8 team in the Eastern Conference, with only a 50% chance to make the playoffs. As pundits saw it, the Celtics were left with little more than faint hopes after trading away Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday while also letting Al Horford and backup center Luke Kornet leave in free agency and, most importantly, losing Tatum to an Achilles injury expected to sideline him all season. Whatâs happened since, and how fast itâs unfolded, is now forcing a rethink of what this Celtics team might actually be.
The Celtics have defied all of the pessimistic expectations this season, and on Sunday they hit a goal that, it appears, no NBA expert saw coming. With their decisive 114-99 defeat of the Charlotte Hornets, the Celtics clinched a playoff spot. But that wasn’t all.
“The Celtics didnât clinch a top 6 seed tonight,” wrote Celtics radio broadcaster Sean Grande on his social media account after Sunday’s game. “They clinched a top-4, and home court in the first round. Boston will open its 12th straight trip to the playoffs at TD Garden April 18 or 19.”
And that wasn’t even the end of what the Celtics, and Tatum specifically, achieved with the victory in Charlotte.
Celtics Hit Lofty Win Mark
The Celtics were widely predicted to finish with between 40 and 44 wins this season. By defeating the Hornets in Charlotte on Sunday, the Celtics won their 50th game of the season.
The 2025-26 season is now the fifth straight in which the Celtics have won at least 50 regular-season games. And there are still eight games remaining before the playoffs begin.
In addition, the Celtics’ streak of qualifying for the playoffs for what is now, officially, 12 consecutive seasons give the 18-time NBA championship-winning franchise the longest current streak of making the playoffs of any team in the league.
The Celtics have qualified for the NBA playoffs in 18 of the last 19 seasons, missing out only in the 2013-14 season.
âItâs just a testament to the alignment of our organization and to the players,â Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said after the game, as quoted by MassLive. âWeâve shifted players over the last five years a bunch of different ways. But winning still remains the most important thing.â
Tatum Finally Hits Stride
If the Celtics manage to win seven of their final eight games, they will extend Mazzulla’s streak of winning at least 57 in each year he has served as Boston’s head coach. Mazzulla took over shortly before the 2022-23 season.
The Celticsâ victory also put the NBA on notice that the four-time All-NBA first-team selection Tatum is well on his way to a full recovery after his seemingly catastrophic injury.
His 32 points paced the Celtics, who were missing both the NBA’s fifth-leading scorer (28.6 per game) Jaylen Brown and Derrick White â whose 95 blocked shots lead all NBA guards.
But Tatum also recorded five rebounds and eight assists without committing a turnover were part of what was clearly his best game since coming back from the Achilles injury on March 6.
With Tatumâs momentum building and the Celtics continuing to show signs few expected, the next stretch of games could reveal just how far this shift might go â and whether itâs only the beginning.
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