“You’re chopping onions”: Celtics fans over the moon after 60th win seals playoffs home court advantage

Without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, the Boston Celtics dominated the OKC Thunder 135-100 on Wednesday. This victory improved Boston’s record to 60-16, securing them home-court advantage for the playoffs. Jayson Tatum and his fellow players are a commanding 12.5 games ahead of the second-ranked Milwaukee Bucks (47-29) in the Eastern Conference standings.

The Celtics have not reached 60 wins since the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons. During that time, the team’s Big Three of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce established them as perennial title contenders. In 2008, their first year together, Boston won its 17th Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Longtime Celtics supporter Dan Greenberg quickly responded that it marked only the third instance he had witnessed his team achieve 60 victories. Fans on X, previously known as Twitter, promptly chimed in:

“I’m not chopping onions. You’re chopping onions.”

X user FSG #1 HATER explicitly expressed that the Green Machine has yet to achieve any notable accomplishments.

“And it all means nothing if they don’t raise banner 18”

Matt D-M offered insight on the gap between this year’s team and previous versions that achieved the same number.

“I was only 3 years old and didn’t know a Boston Celtic was the last time they finished with a 60 win season.”

Despite not being overly impressed, David Jordan was thankful.

“I’m blessed to have seen quite a few 60 win teams.”

Fifty.eth’s excitement was uncontrollable:

“Progress looks good on the Celtics!”

The victory against Oklahoma also secures a 7.0 game lead for Boston over the Denver Nuggets (53-23), who are currently leading in the Western Conference. This puts the Celtics in a favorable position for the 2024 NBA Finals, as they would have home-court advantage against any team emerging from the highly competitive Western Conference.

Celtics fans express worry about team’s performance heading into postseason

Despite achieving the home-court advantage, the Boston Celtics’ success was not guaranteed. Despite being the second-ranked team last season, they were ultimately defeated by the No. 8 Miami Heat, who were known for their ability to defeat higher-ranked teams.

Despite facing the hapless Atlanta Hawks, who are currently in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics suffered two consecutive losses which is a cause for concern. Last season, Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Al Horford struggled to defeat the Hawks as well.

Despite their disappointing exits from the playoffs in recent years, the Celtics understand the significance of earning home-court advantage throughout the postseason. However, they are aware that their true test lies on the court. Fans in Boston eagerly anticipate seeing them in action and potentially capping off their successful season with a 60-win record, a feat they haven’t achieved since 2008-09.