At 37-11 this season, the Celtics have the best record in the NBA. They are 8-2 in their last 10 and are on a two-game win streak. Boston is an outstanding 22-2 at home this season and has a serious advantage when they play at TD Garden. As arguably the best team in the NBA, the Celtics have massive expectations from the media. 

After a comeback win vs. the Pelicans on Monday, head coach Joe Mazzulla spoke about how his team handles the pressure of being expected to win every night. The Celtics know they are one of the top teams in the NBA. With that comes pressure to play your best basketball every game. Mazzulla doesn’t let that outside noise affect the success that the team is having on the court.

Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics know that they are going to have to fight for every win this season

With a 118-112 victory on Monday night over the Pelicans, Joe Mazzulla’s Celtics are 36-11, best in the NBA. He’s embracing the noise and the expectations.

Here’s what he said during a one-on-one interview. https://t.co/a4NTez2ED7

— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) January 30, 2024

The Boston Celtics have the best record in the NBA and the rest of the league knows it. No matter who the Celtics play, they’re going to get the best effort from the opponent. You always want a chance to beat the with the best record and Boston faces that challenge each night. Through 48 games, the team has only lost 11 times in 2023-24. Joe Mazzulla knows that winning every game is not realistic. He does what he can to block the outside noise for his team and keep the laser focused.

These championship expectations are there for the Celtics because they’ve been there before. They’ve done it with arguably a worse lineup than they have now. Boston made the NBA Finals in 2022 and lost to the Warriors. This offseason, they added Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to their starting lineup and the team is thriving. It’s a huge reason why the Celtics have a 4.5-game lead in the East over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Joe Mazzulla on the Celtics being down vs. expectations for them to blow out every team they face:

“Being down 10 in the NBA is really not foreign to the 99th percentile of the NBA. That happens all the time. I said at halftime, ‘What are you doing It’s a 10-point game’… It’s…

— Jack Simone (@JackSimoneNBA) January 30, 2024

Wins have to be earned in the NBA and Joe Mazzulla has made that an emphasis for his team. On Monday, they were down 10 points at halftime to the Pelicans. Mazzulla saw his team’s poor body language and told them the game was far from over. All they had to do was play as a unit and let their skill do the rest. Boston did fight back and won 118-112 vs. New Orleans. Fighting through the adversity and winning is what makes Boston a championship contender in 2023-24. They’re having a great season so far and will look to continue their dominance as the all-star break approaches.