The Boston Celtics have been one of the clutchest teams in the NBA this season. They are 5-1 in clutch situations. The only team with a better clutch record (by percentage) is the Philadelphia 76ers (8-0). The Los Angeles Lakers are also 5-1.
It's been one of the defining characteristics of Boston's season thus far. When the Celtics aren't blowing out sub-.500 teams, they play (and win) tight games.
A couple of games have been unfortunately clutch. But even those ended in solid victories. Boston probably would have wanted to avoid close games against the Brooklyn Nets.
That said, Jordi Fernandez game-plans well against the Celtics, and Jayson Tatum found a way to lead them to a victory. Then, the Milwaukee Bucks' defensive shift threw the Celtics off, but even with Tatum sidelined, Paul George and Derrick White eked out a win.
Sometimes, games don't go the way you expect, but the Celtics have scrapped and clawed their way to wins with their backs against the wall. That matters.
Opening Day against the Detroit Pistons was a clutch game, and that didn't go well. The Celtics fumbled away offensive possessions and gave up too many open threes. Since then, there has been a noticeable improvement.
Tatum's shot-making lifted them past the New York Knicks. The Orlando Magic came out red-hot from deep range, but Tatum and George finished off a positive result. Both were impressive closes.
Then, there was Wednesday night. Fresh off a massive win over the Philadelphia 76ers, the Celtics traveled up North for the second night of a back-to-back against the Toronto Raptors.
Toronto tied its franchise record for threes in a single quarter, draining 10 in the first frame alone. Then, Tatum and the Celtics locked in. They stepped up on defense, which helped their offense, and in the end, they scraped by with a victory.
Winning close games is a defining characteristic of a championship-caliber team. It's a huge reason the 2026 New York Knicks got to where they were. They were one of the best clutch teams of all time.
But what might be the most impressive stat of all is that the Celtics aren't even shooting well in clutch situations (the last five minutes of a game in which the teams are within five points). They are shooting 43.9% from the field and 21.4% from deep. Yet they're still managing to win.
So, how clutch can they be if they actually start making shots down the stretch? How elite can this team be in the clutch once that starts happening? There is still so much room to improve.
But how are they winning right now? How is Boston getting the job done without hitting a ton of shots? Well, they've found a way.
First, the Celtics are averaging 5.7 free throws per game in clutch situations. Part of that comes from intentional fouling, but they rank second in the league in that category, and that's no coincidence.
But Boston's most notable clutch stat is the defense. The Celtics are holding teams to 33.3% shooting from the field and 13.0% from deep in the clutch this season. The defense has been lockdown.
It's hard to make shots in the clutch. Defenses clamp down. Teams do anything to prevent shots at the rim. But the Celtics still have lots of room to improve on offense. That's a positive. However, the fact that Boston's clutch defense is elite is a great sign for the future.
1. Doc Rivers vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo
During an appearance on The Bill Simmons podcast, former Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers criticized Giannis Antetokounmpo amid the Miami Heat's relatively slow start to the season.
He mentioned that Antetokounmpo, as far as basketball goes, "doesn't necessarily have this