The Boston Celtics have put together a lot of great seasons in the last decade, but none surpass the 2023-24 campaign, which culminated in a championship. Before Boston captured the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy that June, it jumped out to a 10-2 start during the regular season. The C's are off to the exact same start three years later, albeit with a very different roster.
After coming back from a 22-point deficit on Wednesday night to defeat the Toronto Raptors, 98-93, in Canada, the Celtics are 10-2 overall and on their second five-game winning streak of the young season. This marks their best record through 12 contests since the aforementioned title campaign, as the Green Team posted records of 9-3 and 5-7 within that same number of games
during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons, respectively.
Now, this impressive coincidence doesn't mean the Celtics are championship-bound. The 2023-24 squad was utterly dominant and featured multiple All-Stars who are no longer with the Green Team, including Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford.
Celtics star Jayson Tatum remains, though, and he has fellow 2024 NBA champion Derrick White at his side in the starting lineup along with a valuable addition: nine-time All-Star and first-year Celtic Paul George.
The new-look C's might not measure up to the Banner 18 Celtics, yet they're churning out wins all the same. That's in part because the 2026-27 Celtics, like many Green Teams of old, emphasize the importance of every game — no matter its magnitude. Wednesday was the perfect example of this mentality.
The Celtics are 5-0 at home this season. That's their best start at TD Garden since the 2023-24 campaign. pic.twitter.com/SKBHzIXL5I
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) November 5, 2026
The Celtics could've quit on the second night of a back-to-back once they trailed a banged-up Raptors team by double digits. A quicker loss would mean a quicker journey home following a four-game road trip. However, instead of taking it easy, the C's rallied in the second half and stole a road win up north.
"Tenth year in the league, (I'm) understanding the emotional roller coaster of the NBA season, and just kind of putting things in perspective," Tatum said on Tuesday night after the Celtics routed the Philadelphia 76ers in a primetime matchup. "They all count as one."
While the current Eastern Conference-leading Celtics still have a lot of work to do before they can reach the highs of the 2023-24 crew, their first steps have been in the right direction. They'll aim to stay on the winning path on Sunday evening, when they host the 7-4 Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Boston Celtics 10-2 start has promising connection
