The NBA’s second season has begun, and it’s now time for the Boston Celtics to put up or shut up. Owners of the league’s best record for the majority of the 2023-2024 NBA season, the Celtics make a return to a postseason where they’re expected to make some serious noise as the top seed. None of the hype from this year’s NBA-best 64-18 record matters anymore.

After the majority of their 18 losses this year, players have said they’ll learn from those defeats. Some said the losses are good because they’ll serve as a wake-up call for postseason play. If the Celtics don’t win the NBA title this year, it’s a disappointment in Boston. Here’s why the playoffs will be different for the Celtics this year.

The Boston Celtics Had Their Toughest Practice Since Training Camp

In 2022, the Celtics’ core of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown got a taste of the NBA Finals for the first time in their careers. Both stars struggled in the postseason.

In 2023, the door was wide open for a return to the championship round when the second-seeded Celtics hosted the eighth-seeded Miami Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Nearly a double-digit favorite, the Celtics were embarrassed at home, falling 103-84.

They’ve learned. Veteran center Al Horford told reporters about how hard the team practiced ahead of their Sunday game against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.

“It was a really good practice,” Horford said. “High energy, probably harder than any training camp practice we had. Lot of pace. It was very productive.

“I was really happy with our group today with practice, with our focus level, attention to detail, guys really trying to do it right, and us really holding each other accountable. I thought that was really good to see.”

The Celtics have a drive. They know what’s at stake. They’ve been so close and know they may never get another opportunity like this again.

All the Pieces Are in Place for the Celtics

While the Celtics were good those last two seasons, they’ve vastly improved in 2024. The off-season acquisitions of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday have give the Celtics arguably the greatest starting five in the league. The emergence of Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, and Luke Kornet, along with the veteran presence of Horford, make Boston one of the deepest teams in the NBA.

While the talent is there, so is their health and their drive.

The Celtics were overly cautious with Porzingis, a 7-foot-2 injury-prone center who has missed his share of games over his nine NBA seasons. He missed 25 games this year with calf and ankle issues but much of that time missed was precautionary.

The Celtics are rested and hungry, two key factors that will play key roles in getting Boston back to the Finals.

Consistency has also been key to Boston’s success. In 2022, they were 25-25 through the first 50 games before turning things up and reaching the finals. This year, they’ve dominated from start to finish.

“Last year, we weren’t good (in the playoffs when it counted), and this year feels different the way that we’ve been playing at home,” Horford said. “We have an understand that we have to come out and play and perform. I think last year we kind of leaned on, you know, we’re at home and the fans are kind of going to put us over the top.

“The mindset probably wasn’t the best that it needed to be. I feel like now we understand that we have to come out ready to go. Just because we’re here at the Garden doesn’t mean we’re going to win automatically. We’ve done a better job of that this year.”

Talent, hunger, hard work, and determination are Boston’s recipe for success this postseason.