Will the Boston Celtics join the 60 win club this season?

The Boston Celtics through 52 games have a 37-15 record. That's good enough for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Only the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets out west have better records. Brad Stevens led the Celtics past the 50 win mark last season. Can he surpass 60 wins this season? Based on the team's winning percentage the Celtics are on course to finish with 58 wins, so it's definitely plausible.

The last time the Celtics hit the 60 win mark was during the 2008-2009 season. They started that season extremely hot and were looking like the favorites to repeat as champions prior to the Kevin Garnett injury. The Celtics still finished that season with 62 wins, only four shy of their tally from the previous championship season. The Celtics hadn't joined the 60 win club since the 1985-1986 season prior to that. From 1964 to 1986 it was pretty common for the Celtics to win 60 as they dominated the NBA during those decades.

Can Kyrie Irving, Al Horford, and the rest of the Celtics hit that 60 win milestone this season? The idea seemed almost unthinkable after the opening night injury to Gordon Hayward. Will the Celtics need 60 wins to clinch home court throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs? Quite possibly. It's not the Cleveland Cavaliers that right now pose the most formidable threat. The Toronto Raptors at 34-15 are only 1.5 games behind the Celtics in the Eastern Conference standings.

Getting the home court advantage doesn't necessarily guarantee a trip to the NBA Finals. And if the Celtics make the NBA Finals, possibly resting their star players late in the season will have served a greater purpose than going for every last win. As you can see here, Celtics are on a steady pace to come out on top for the Atlantic Division. To earn 60 wins the Celtics will have to finish strong and go 23-7 the rest of the way. Definitely a milestone within reach.

Here is the Celtics remaining schedule:

53 Fri, Feb 2, 2018 7:30p ET 15-35 Atlanta Hawks
54 Sun, Feb 4, 2018 12:00p ET 27-22 Portland Trail Blazers
55 Tue, Feb 6, 2018 7:30p ET 33-15 @ Toronto Raptors
56 Thu, Feb 8, 2018 8:00p ET 27-22 @ Washington Wizards
57 Fri, Feb 9, 2018 7:30p ET 28-23 Indiana Pacers
58 Sun, Feb 11, 2018 3:30p ET 29-19 Cleveland Cavaliers
59 Wed, Feb 14, 2018 8:00p ET 25-24 Los Angeles Clippers
60 Fri, Feb 23, 2018 7:00p ET 22-26 @ Detroit Pistons
61 Sat, Feb 24, 2018 7:30p ET 22-28 @ New York Knicks
62 Mon, Feb 26, 2018 7:30p ET 18-31 Memphis Grizzlies
63 Wed, Feb 28, 2018 7:30p ET 20-29 Charlotte Hornets
64 Sat, Mar 3, 2018 8:30p ET 35-13 @ Houston Rockets
65 Mon, Mar 5, 2018 8:00p ET 18-32 @ Chicago Bulls
66 Thu, Mar 8, 2018 8:00p ET 32-21 @ Minnesota Timberwolves
67 Sun, Mar 11, 2018 7:30p ET 28-23 Indiana Pacers
68 Wed, Mar 14, 2018 8:00p ET 27-22 Washington Wizards
69 Fri, Mar 16, 2018 7:00p ET 14-34 @ Orlando Magic
70 Sun, Mar 18, 2018 6:00p ET 27-22 @ New Orleans Pelicans
71 Tue, Mar 20, 2018 8:00p ET 30-20 Oklahoma City Thunder
72 Fri, Mar 23, 2018 10:00p ET 27-22 @ Portland Trail Blazers
73 Sun, Mar 25, 2018 6:00p ET 15-34 @ Sacramento Kings
74 Mon, Mar 26, 2018 10:00p ET 17-34 @ Phoenix Suns
75 Wed, Mar 28, 2018 9:30p ET 21-28 @ Utah Jazz
76 Sat, Mar 31, 2018 7:30p ET 33-15 Toronto Raptors
77 Tue, Apr 3, 2018 8:00p ET 27-22 @ Milwaukee Bucks
78 Wed, Apr 4, 2018 7:00p ET 33-15 @ Toronto Raptors
79 Fri, Apr 6, 2018 7:30p ET 18-32 Chicago Bulls
80 Sun, Apr 8, 2018 7:30p ET 15-35 Atlanta Hawks
81 Tue, Apr 10, 2018 8:00p ET 27-22 @ Washington Wizards
82 Wed, Apr 11, 2018 8:00p ET 18-32 Brooklyn Nets


The toughest opponents will be the Raptors who the Celtics still face three times and Cavs and Houston Rockets. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves could also cause some problems.