The Boston Celtics are coming off a solid 114-99 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night. With this win, the Celtics have officially hit the 50-win milestone, marking their fifth consecutive season with at least 50 wins.
This is an impressive feat in every sense. When considering the position the Celtics were in at the beginning of the 2025-26 season, this achievement is made even more special. However, during his postgame interview, Joe Mazzulla didn’t seem as impressed with the milestone.
“I think it’s just a testament to the alignment of the organization and the players,” Mazzulla claimed. “We’ve shifted players over the last five years in a bunch of different ways, but winning still remains the most important thing.”
“It’s a minor milestone. I wouldn’t say that it’s the true definition of success, but I think it’s a definition of consistency,” he added. “I think that starts with the players that put on the jersey and have an understanding that winning is the most important thing, and how seriously we take it. I think a lot of it has to do with that.”
Since becoming Boston’s head coach ahead of the 2022-23 season, Mazzulla has posted a 231-88 record in the regular season and a 33-17 record in the playoffs. With a winning percentage of 72.4% in the regular season, it is evident that Mazzulla has enjoyed considerable success in his role.
Thus, even though Joe Mazzulla’s reaction was fairly muted, which unsurprisingly aligns with his personality, it shouldn’t take away from how truly unique Boston’s campaign has been.
Having faced tremendous hardships in the offseason due to roster changes and injuries, the Celtics were expected to be one of the weaker teams in the East. But against all odds, the Celtics remained one of the top teams in the league, successfully clinching a playoff spot in the process.
Mazzulla’s statement does, however, give credit to the Celtics’ organization for building a culture of winning. Celtics guard Payton Pritchard shed more light on this and the 50-win milestone after the game against the Hornets, saying:
“It’s a culture thing. Every guy shows up. We’re not going to have every guy playing in every game, so that means you need a whole roster and every guy shows up to every game ready to compete and help win. So, it’s definitely the culture we built here.”
Pritchard has been one of the beneficiaries of Boston’s championship mindset. After being asked to play a more significant role in the rotation this year, the guard responded by stepping up to the plate.
For the 2025-26 season, Pritchard is averaging 16.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 45.7% from the field and 36.7% from three-point range. Given that he has notched career-highs in virtually every department this season, it is apparent that his production has had a direct impact on winning.
Like Payton Pritchard, many players have been vital to the Celtics’ success this season. However, it can be argued that Jaylen Brown has been their most impressive performer by a distance.
While mounting an MVP-caliber season during Jayson Tatum‘s prolonged absence, Brown asserted himself as one of the best players in the NBA. With averages of 28.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game, Brown grew in stature as a player and as a leader this season.
With Brown taking it upon himself to keep the Celtics in the playoff picture until Tatum’s return, Boston took the league by storm. Now, with Tatum back in the lineup, it is safe to say that the Celtics are the favorites to win it all this season.
