The Boston Celtics have looked every bit like the best team in the NBA through the first two games of the NBA Finals, taking a 2-0 series lead over the Dallas Mavericks with two convincing wins in Beantown. Two more wins would not only give the Celtics their record 18th world championship but also cap their NBA-best regular season record of 64-18.
But wins and losses aside, what are the true markers of a championship-level squad? At alphabeats, we’re always looking at the metrics that reflect a high level of mental acuity and efficiency. Anyone can look at the team that scores the most points or gives up the least as the best in those respective categories.
For us, the stats that are the true metrics for measuring a team’s overall efficiency and mental fitness are the offensive and defensive ratings. Those benchmarks measure points scored (offensive) or allowed (defensive) per 100 possessions. In other words, who is maintaining a consistency and clarity of play over the course of the season.
Wondering about the Celtics? They finished No. 1 in the NBA in offensive rating (122.2) and No. 2 in defensive rating (110.6). That’s just a tick below the 1996 Chicago Bulls, generally regarded as the best team in NBA history with 72 regular-season wins and the only team to ever finish first in both categories in the same season.
For the most part, however, these ratings are the benchmarks of teams that will make noise in the postseason. Since 2000, only two teams have managed to raise the Larry O’Brien Trophy without finishing in the top five of at least one of the two categories. Those would be the 2005-06 Miami Heat, led by Shaquille O’Neal and Dwayne Wade, and Dirk Nowitzki’s 2010-11 Dallas Mavericks.
Here's a look at three other 21st century teams that showed their championship mettle during the regular season:
- 2017 Warriors (1st Off./2nd Def.): This version of Golden State had it all, with future Hall of Famers Steph Curry and Kevin Durant leading an offense that broke more than 20 NBA records while Swiss Army knife Draymond Green anchored a suffocating defense. It's no surprise the Warriors went an all-time best 16-1 in the postseason en route to the title
- 2015 Warriors (2nd Off./1st Def.): The first championship of the Curry era and the birth of the “Splash Brothers” (Curry and Klay Thompson) might be what this Golden State edition was best remembered, but they were a shutdown defensive squad, taking the top spot despite having 100+ more possessions than anyone else in the NBA during the 2014-15 season
- 2000 Lakers (5th Off./1st Def.): Phil Jackson’s first season as Lakers head coach and the team’s first season in the Staples Center featured a team that could do it at both ends of the floor, anchored by O’Neal and 21-year-old Kobe Bryant, who were surrounded by defensive veterans like A.C. Green and John Salley
By the way, if Dallas is going to pull off a comeback in the current Finals, they’ll have to do so by becoming a part of their own history. During the 2023-24 regular season, the Mavericks finished eighth in offensive rating and a pedestrian 18th on the defensive side, which is why their run to the Finals as a sixth seed has generally been seen as a surprise.
With Game 3 set for Wednesday in Dallas, maybe there’s time for a few alphabeats sessions before tipoff. Ready to elevate your game? Join us at alphabeats and discover how our neurofeedback and music integration can transform your mental training. Because when you train your mind, you can achieve anything.