(Elsa/NBAE/Getty Images Sport)
After importing two All-Stars in the offseason, the Celtics' Paul Pierce (left), Ray Allen (center) and Kevin Garnett have had plenty of reason to smile during their torrid start.
• See how Boston's 20-game start ranks historically.

Feb. 14, 2007 -- Only one team in NBA history has ever won 70 games in a single season, but the 2007-08 Boston Celtics still have an outside shot at joining the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls. Coach Doc Rivers is trying to maintain perspective and keep an eye on the team's overall play, rather than game-by-game performance.

''The record's nice and all that, but that's not our goal,'' Rivers told the Chicago Sun-Times on Dec. 9. ''I don't even know what our record is, but whatever it is, that's not what our goal is. We're just trying to get better and improve. You know, we've won games, but we can be a better basketball team. Everybody in our locker room, as long as they have that understanding, we're going to be OK.''

After rebounding from a rough stretch to win five straight, the Celtics enter the All-Star break as the league's first 40-win team, finishing the first half at 41-9. They remain on pace to win nearly 70 games. By maintaining their .820 winning percentage, Boston will chalk up 67.2 wins .. or 67, because they play full games in real life.

While they've already surpassed last season's win total (24), the Celtics will return from the All-Star Break to face stiff competition from Western Conference squads like Golden State, Denver and Phoenix.

None of that stops us from counting to 70. With each Celtics victory, we'll continue to use the best season on record as a measuring stick for Boston' success. So, take a look at how this year's elite squad stacks up against Jordan, Pippen and the Bulls of yore:


2007-08 BOSTON CELTICS
Current Pace: 67-15 (.817)
GM
1995-96 CHICAGO BULLS
NBA Record: 72-10 (.878)
DATE
VS
RESULT
REC
STR
OPP
DIFF
AVG DIFF
#
DATE
VS
RESULT
REC
STR
OPP
DIFF
AVG DIFF
11/2 WAS W 103-83 1-0 W1 0-1 +20 20.0 1 11/3 CHA W 105-91 1-0 W1 0-0 +14 14.0
11/4 @ TOR W 98-95 (OT) 2-0 W2 2-0 +3 11.5 2 11/4 BOS W 107-85 2-0 W2 0-1 +22 18.0
11/7 DEN W 119-93 3-0 W3 2-2 +26 16.3 3 11/7 TOR W 117-108 3-0 W3 1-1 +9 15.0
11/9 ATL W 106-83 4-0 W4 2-2 +23 18.0 4 11/9 @ CLE W 106-88 4-0 W4 0-3 +18 15.8
11/10 @ NJN W 112-101 5-0 W5 4-1 +11 16.6 5 11/11 POR W 110-106 5-0 W5 2-3 +4 13.4
11/13 @ IND W 101-86 6-0 W6 3-3 +15 16.3 6 11/14 @ ORL L 88-94 5-1 L1 5-1 -6 10.2
11/14 NETS W 91-69 4-3 W7 3-3 +22 17.1 7 11/15 CLE W 113-94 6-1 W1 0-6 +19 11.4
11/16 MIA W 92-91 8-0 W8 1-7 +1 15.1 8 11/17 NJN W 109-94 7-1 W2 3-3 +15 11.9
11/18 @ ORL L 102-104 8-1 L1 8-2 -2 13.2 9 11/21 @ DAL W 108-102 (OT) 8-1 W3 5-4 +6 11.2
11/21 GSW W 105-82 9-1 W1 3-6 +23 14.2 10 11/22 @ SAS W 103-94 9-1 W4 6-2 +9 11.0
11/23 LAL W 107-94 10-1 W2 6-5 +13 14.1 11 11/24 @ UTA W 90-85 10-1 W5 10-2 +5 10.5
11/24 @ CHA W 96-95 11-1 W3 6-6 +1 13.0 12 11/26 @ SEA L 92-97 10-2 L1 8-5 -5 9.2
11/27 @ CLE L 104-109 (OT) 11-2 L1 9-5 -5 11.6 13 11/27 @ POR W 107-104 11-2 W1 6-6 +3 8.7
11/29 NYK W 104-59 12-2 W1 4-9 +45 14.0 14 11/30 @ VAN W 94-88 12-2 W2 2-12 +6 8.5
11/30 @ MIA W 95-85 13-2 W2 4-10 +10 13.7 15 12/2 @ LAC W 104-98 13-2 W3 7-8 +6 8.3
12/2 CLE W 80-70 14-2 W3 9-8 +10 13.5 16 12/6 NYK W 101-94 14-2 W4 13-4 +7 8.3
12/5 @ PHI W 113-103 15-2 W4 5-12 +10 13.3 17 12/8 SAS W 106-87 15-2 W5 11-4 +19 8.9
12/7 TOR W 112-84 16-2 W5 10-9 +28 14.1 18 12/9 @ MIL W 118-106 16-2 W6 6-10 +12 9.1
12/8 @ CHI W 92-81 17-2 W6 6-11 +11 13.9 19 12/13 ORL W 112-103 17-2 W7 17-4 +9 9.1
12/12 SAC W 90-78 18-2 W7 11-6 +12 13.9 20 12/14 @ ATL W 127-108 18-2 W8 10-11 +19 9.6
12/14 MIL W 104-82 19-2 W8 9-12 +22 14.2 21 12/16 LAL W 108-88 19-2 W9 12-11 +20 10.0
12/16 @ TOR W 90-77 20-2 W9 14-10 +13 14.2 22 12/18 @ BOS W 123-114 20-2 W10 11-10 +9 10.0
12/19 DET L 85-87 20-3 L1 17-7 -2 13.5 23 12/19 DAL W 114-101 21-2 W11 7-14 +13 10.1
12/21 CHI W 107-82 21-3 W1 9-14 +25 14.0 24 12/22 TOR W 113-104 22-2 W12 8-18 +9 10.1
12/23 ORL W 103-91 22-3 W2 18-10 +12 13.9 25 12/23 UTA W 100-86 23-2 W13 17-8 +14 10.2
12/26 @ SAC W 89-69 23-3 W3 11-15 +20 14.1 26 12/26 @ IND L 97-103 23-3 L1 13-11 -6 9.6
12/27 @ SEA W 104-96 24-3 W4 8-20 +8 13.9 27 12/29 IND W 120-93 24-3 W1 15-11 +27 10.3
12/29 @UTA W 104-98 25-3 W5 16-15 +6 13.6 28 12/30 ATL W 95-93 25-3 W2 13-14 +2 10.0
12/30 @ LAL W 110-91 26-3 W6 19-10 +19 13.8 29 1/3 HOU W 100-86 26-3 W3 23-8 +14 10.1
1/2 HOU W 97-93 27-3 W7 15-16 +4 13.5 30 1/4 @ CHA W 117-93 27-3 W4 14-16 24 10.6
1/4 MEM W 100-96 28-3 W8 9-22 +4 13.2 31 1/6 MIL W 113-84 28-3 W5 12-18 +29 11.2
1/5 @ DET W 92-85 29-3 W9 26-7 +7 13.0 32 1/10 SEA W 113-87 29-3 W6 23-9 +26 11.6
1/9 CHA L 83-95 29-4 L1 12-21 -12 12.2 33 1/13 @ PHI W 120-93 30-3 W7 7-25 +27 12.1
1/11 @ NJN W 86-77 30-4 W1 18-17 +9 12.1 34 1/15 @ WAS W 116-109 31-3 W8 18-17 +7 11.9
1/12 @ WAS L 78-85 30-5 L1 18-16 -7 11.6 35 1/16 PHI W 116-104 32-3 W9 7-26 +12 11.9
1/14 WAS L 83-88 30-6 L2 19-16 -5 11.1 36 1/18 @ TOR W 92-89 33-3 W10 10-27 +3 11.7
1/16 POR W 100-90 31-6 W1 23-14 +10 11.1 37 1/21 @ DET W 111-96 34-3 W11 19-17 +15 11.8
1/18 PHI W 116-89 32-6 W2 15-24 +27 11.5 38 1/23 @ NYK W 99-79 35-3 W12 24-14 +20 12.0
1/21 @ NYK W 109-93 33-6 W3 13-27 16 11.6 39 1/24 VAN W 104-84 36-3 W13 9-30 +20 12.2
1/23 TOR L 112-114 33-7 L1 22-19 -2 11.3 40 1/26 MIA W 102-80 37-3 W14 18-22 22 12.5
1/25 MIN W 87-86 34-7 W1 7-34 +1 11.0 41 1/28 PHO W 93-82 38-3 W15 17-22 11 12.4
1/27 @ ORL L 93-96 34-8 L1 27-18 -3 10.7 42 1/30 @ HOU W 98-87 39-3 W16 29-15 +11 12.4
1/29 @ MIA W 117-87 35-8 W1 9-33> +30 11.1 43 2/1 @ SAC W 105-85 40-3 W17 23-16 +20 12.6
1/31 DAL W 96-90 36-8 W2 31-13 +6 11.0 44 2/2 @ LAL W 99-84 41-3 W18 25-18 +15 12.6
2/5 @ CLE L 113-114 36-9 L1 26-20 -1 10.8 45 2/4 @ DEN L 99-105 41-4 L1 18-26 -6 12.2
2/6 LAC W 111-100 37-9 W1 15-30 +11 10.8 46 2/6 @ PHO L 96-106 41-5 L2 20-24 -10 11.7
2/8 @ MIN W 88-86 38-9 W2 10-37 +2 10.6 47 2/7 @ GSW W 99-95 42-5 W1 21-25 +4 11.6
2/10 SAS W 98-90 39-9 W3 32-16 +8 10.5 48 2/13 WAS W 111-98 43-5 W2 22-24 +13 11.6
2/12 @ IND W 104-97 40-9 W4 21-30 +7 10.4 49 2/15 @ DET W 112-109 OT 44-5 W3 24-22 +3 11.4
2/13 NYK W 111-103 41-9 W5 15-36 +8 10.4 50 2/16 @ MIN W 103-100 45-5 W4 14-33 +3 11.2
2/19 @ DEN 9 p.m.ET 51 2/18 @ IND W 110-102 46-5 W5 32-18 +8 11.2

All times EDT
REC: The team's overall record after that day's game.
OPP: The opponents' overall record entering that day's game.
DIFF: The game's point differential.
AVG DIFF: The team's average point differential after that day's game.
*Bulls' differential provided by Stats LLC.