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BOSTON – What a season it was for the Boston Celtics.
Fifty-five wins. Another trip to the Conference Finals. Rapid growth by budding stars. Continued improvement by established veterans. It was impressive all around.
Along the route of Boston’s 101-game journey, many feats were accomplished, some by the team, and some by individuals. Over the course of this week, we will dive into all of the most notable accomplishments.
So far, we have covered the top accomplishments by the team, by Kyrie Irving, and by Jayson Tatum. We’ll close out with seven more accomplishments by Al Horford, Terry Rozier and Brad Stevens.
Horford’s No. 3 – Scoring 10,000th Career Point
Horford doesn’t care all too much about scoring. As such, rarely does a moment arise during which his scoring is celebrated. However, back on March 5, Horford reached a significant career scoring total that deserves praise: he scored his 10,000th career point.
That night, during a 105-89 win over the Chicago Bulls, Horford tallied 13 points in all, the seventh of which pushed him over the 10,000-point barrier for his career.
Reaching such a milestone requires longevity and consistency. Horford has certainly provided both of those through the first 11 seasons of his career, and it doesn’t appear that he’ll be slowing down anytime soon.
Horford’s No. 2 – Earning a Fifth All-Star Selection
The NBA’s coaches selected Horford to his fifth All-Star team this season, and his first as a member of the Celtics. Five All-Star appearances pales in comparison to accomplishmnts by some of the megastars in the NBA, but in the NBA landscape, five selections is quite impressive.
Here’s a list of notable and now-retired players who were chosen to five All-Star teams: Chris Webber, Chauncey Billups, Tim Hardaway, Dennis Johnson, Sam Jones, Pete Maravich, Bob McAdoo, Reggie Miller, Chris Mullin, Wes Unseld. And here’s a list of other current players who have played in five All-Star games: Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Paul George, Blake Griffin, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love.
You’ve got to be really, really good to play in five of these games, and Horford can now claim that he has done so.
Horford’s No. 1 – Being Chosen to the All-Defensive Second Team
Horford played a critical role in Boston leading the NBA in defensive rating this season. He was awarded for his contributions by being selected as a member of the All-Defensive Second Team.
The honor was a first for Horford, who finished the season with a top-15 defensive rating in the league. He’s the first member of the Celtics to have made an All-Defensive team since Kevin Garnett did so in 2012.
Horford was Boston’s defensive Swiss Army knife on the frontline, as he was assigned to be the primary defender against everyone from Giannis Antetokounmpo to LeBron James to Anthony Davis to Ben Simmons. He also switched out onto guards and defended them at a high level, and these trends carried through to the postseason.
Rozier’s No. 2 – Scoring in Double-Figures in 25 Straight Games
Double-digit scoring streaks are typically reserved for starters, but Terry Rozier bucked that trend by notching 25 straight double-digit scoring performances during the 2017-18 season.
Rozier came off the bench for 13 of those games before assuming the starting point guard role in place of the injured Kyrie Irving. During the 25-game stretch, Rozier averaged 16.4 points per game and broke the 30-point barrier twice (both were as a starer).
Prior to the onset of Rozier’s 25-game streak, he had scored in double-digits only 16 times during the first 113 games of his career.
Rozier’s No. 1 – Recording a Triple-Double During First Career Start
Thousands of players who have started games since the league began listing and tracking starters back in 1970-71. Not a single one of them recorded a triple-double in regulation time of their first start – until Rozier accomplished the feat Jan. 31 against the New York Knicks.
Starting for the first time in 165 career games, Rozier played 33 minutes and tallied 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to secure the triple-double. He also added in two blocks and two steals for good measure.
A noteworthy aside is that Tony Wroten also logged a triple-double during his first start back on Nov. 13, 2013, but his was tallied during overtime.
Stevens’ No. 2 – Notching 200 Career Wins
Seventeen coaches have roamed the sidelines for the Boston Celtics. Only seven of them, including Brad Stevens, have eclipsed the 200-win barrier. Stevens reached the 200-win mark with a victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 11 in London.
After five seasons at the helm, Stevens is now the seventh-winningest coach in franchise history with 221 career regular season victories. He needs just one win to surpass Chris Ford for sixth on the list, and with 22 more victories, he will pass Bill Fitch for fifth on the all-time list.
Stevens’ No. 1 – Increasing Win Total for Fifth Straight Season
The Boston Celtics have displayed year-over-year improvement during every season of Stevens’ coaching tenure. Their win total improved from 25 in 2013-14, to 40 in 2014-15, to 48 in 2015-16, to 53 in 2016-17, to 55 in 2017-18.
Stevens helped to guide the C’s through an incredible amount of adversity during that time, highlighted by roster turnover. He has coached nearly 50 players since taking over the helm during the summer of 2013, and each of those players improved under Stevens’ tutelage.