Celtics have the No. 1 scoring differential in the Eastern Conference


After last night's 18-point victory in New Orleans, the Celtics are 12-9.  Despite currently sitting in the No. 8 spot in the East, Boston is just 1.5 games back of No. 1 Cleveland (13-7).  In fact, the top 10 teams in the conference are all within two games of each other.

With the standings so tightly packed, it's worth looking at some other measures to differentiate one club from the next.  The C's have outscored their opponents by an average of 5.4 points per game, the best differential in the Eastern Conference:

Screenshot via ESPN.com

Only the 22-0 Warriors (hey, are they coming to town soon?) at +14.9 and the 18-4 Spurs (+11.9) are ahead of Boston in this category league-wide.

Similarly, the C's are also third in the NBA in net rating (as mentioned in last night's Green Stats post) which accounts for variations in pace of play by measuring teams' scoring differentials per 100 possessions instead of complete games.  Basketball-Reference.com also tracks an adjusted net rating based on the quality of opponents, in which the Celtics are fourth (Golden State 13.24, San Antonio 10.91, Indiana 5.03, Boston 4.92).

Of the C's 12 wins, only one (the 84-80 comeback against the Sixers last month) has been by single digits:


And before you say "Well the season just started," keep in mind that Boston has now completed over 25 percent of its schedule.  Yes, it's still early, but the numbers are real, and they're spectacular.





Follow Mark Vandeusen on Twitter @LucidSportsFan

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