Boston Celtics complete most dominant run to NBA Championship in recent history

En route to winning the 18th NBA Championship in franchise history, the Boston Celtics just completed one of the most dominant runs in league history.

As was expected before the start of the NBA Playoffs, the Boston Celtics cruised to the NBA Championship compiling a 16-3 record in the postseason and an 8.6 net rating. If it wasn't for a near 40-point loss in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, their final numbers would look a lot more dominant. Nevertheless, the Celtics just completed one of the most dominant seasons in recent history en route to winning their 18th NBA Championship as a franchise.

But the Celtics' dominance wasn't a recent occurrence. You could see this type of championship run for the Celtics since the regular season. In fact, you can make the argument that the Celtics were more dominant in the regular season than they were in the playoffs.

The Celtics finished the regular season with the third-best net rating in league history. Boston's 11.6 net rating was only bested by the Chicago Bulls in 1995-96 and 1996-97. That carried into the playoffs. Even though Boston had their "brain fart" moments several times in the playoffs, the Celtics were a team that never looked tested at any point.

There was never a moment in the playoffs, or even in the regular season, in which the Celtics were pushed to the point of doubt. It was masked as "the Celtics have not been tested." In the end, the Celtics were just that dominant. I'm not sure what many thought the Celtics "being tested" was supposed to look like, but Boston passed each exam with passing colors.

Even in their losses, the Celtics were overwhelming - if that makes any sense. When the Celtics lost, it was either because they shot historically bad or opposing teams shot historically good, and more often than not, a combination of the two.

As much as it may pain many to admit, the Celtics were an all-time great team. They may not have been as flashy as the 2017 Golden State Warriors or even the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls during the 1990s, but the Celtics were overwhelming every night.

The Celtics never stepped on a court this season in which they didn't have the better roster, from top to bottom. They had no weak spots as a team and in the post-super team era, the Celtics dominated as one.

The 2023-24 Celtics will go down as one of the most dominant teams in NBA history. And the scariest part of Boston's run this season is that they might be just getting started.