2025 NBA playoff simulation: Will C’s repeat as NBA champs? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Celtics will look to begin another dominant postseason run when they welcome the Orlando Magic to TD Garden for Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on Easter Sunday.
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Boston, the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, aims to become the franchise’s first team to repeat as NBA champions since the 1968 and 1969 squads led by Bill Russell. It would be the first NBA team to repeat since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018.
Perhaps the No. 7 seed Magic won’t pose the Celtics’ biggest threat in their title quest, but it won’t be an easy road the rest of the way. The East is filled with teams that could give the C’s some trouble, including the Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, and the top-seed Cleveland Cavaliers. Potential NBA Finals showdowns with the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers, or Denver Nuggets also won’t be cakewalks.
So, just how far will the Celtics go on their quest for Banner 19? Our partners at Strat-O-Matic ran a simulation to find out, and they ended up with some interesting results.
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Let’s jump in. . .
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Unsurprisingly, the reigning champions steamroll the underdog Magic with a first-round sweep. Boston sets the tone for another long postseason run with two blowout victories at TD Garden before finishing the series in Orlando with two closer wins.
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The Celtics face a far tougher test in Round 2 against the scrappy Pistons, who are coming off an impressive bounce-back campaign. Detroit dispatched the New York Knicks in five games and brought Boston to Game 7, but couldn’t finish the job at TD Garden. The C’s survived with a 13-point victory to advance to their fourth consecutive Eastern Conference Finals.
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The Cavs cruised to the East Finals with sweeps of the Miami Heat in the first round and the Indiana Pacers in the second round, setting up a fascinating postseason rematch with the C’s.
Boston squeaked out a tough Game 1 win on the road, but Cleveland responded with three consecutive wins to put the Celtics on the brink of elimination.
Trailing the series 3-1, the C’s lived to see another day with a nail-biter five-point win in Cleveland. Boston forced Game 7 with a blowout victory at TD Garden.
During Game 7 in Cleveland, the Celtics led by a point at halftime before a 12-2 Cavs run put Cleveland up by 10 entering the fourth quarter. The C’s would get back within four with two minutes left, but a turnover and a basket on the other end by the Cavs’ Evan Mobley put the game out of reach in an eventual 108-98 Cavs victory.
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According to Strat-O-Matic, Cleveland gets its revenge.
Co-stars Jayson Tatum (28.1 ppg) and Jaylen Brown (22.8 ppg) led the way for the Celtics in their postseason run.
First Round
- No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder defeat No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies, 4-2
- No. 4 Denver Nuggets defeat No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers, 4-1
- No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers defeat No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves, 4-3
- No. 2 Houston Rockets defeat No. 7 Golden State Warriors, 4-3
West Semifinals
- No. 2 Thunder defeat No. 4 Denver Nuggets, 4-2
- No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers defeat No. 2 Houston Rockets, 4-2
West Finals
- No. 1 Thunder defeat No. 3 Lakers, 4-1
The Thunder take down the Cavs in a thrilling seven-game series. OKC superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averages 35.0 points and 6.0 assists per game and is a no-brainer for Finals MVP.
