Source: https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/advanced?sort=NET_RATING&dir=-1&Season=2025-26

If you told me at the start of the season that we were going to be a top 5 offense, I would’ve been surprised. If you told me we were also going to be a top 5 defense, after losing Jayson Tatum and our entire center rotation, I would’ve called you a fraud and a dirty liar. We’re currently the only team in the league that’s top 5 in both (OKC is 6th in offense by a hair). Yes, this is Joe Mazzulla COTY propaganda.

(We’re also the best defense in the league since trading for Nikola Vucevic at the deadline, so that’s kind of funny)

Morezingis | Timberwolves

74 | 13 hours ago

Joe Mazzula has to be coach of the year or the system is broken

Primary-Tea-3715

28 | 13 hours ago

Recently the coty gets fired almost immediately after so no thanks

shangalang69 | Raptors

7 | 13 hours ago

Kenny Atkinson broke the curse (so far)

fuzzythinker | Nuggets

9 | 12 hours ago

Not so sure if Cavs didn’t swing back into top 4. At the very least, he was in the hot seat.

shangalang69 | Raptors

2 | 12 hours ago

yes but he survived

Broski28of25 | France

2 | 12 hours ago

But they did

AynB1and | Thunder

2 | 13 hours ago

mark daigneault isn’t going anywhere

HokageEzio | Knicks

6 | 12 hours ago

Two man race between him and Bickerstaff imo. But Mazzulla is my pick too.

junkit33

1 | 3 hours ago

Nothing against Bickerstaff, but the Pistons are kind of doing what was expected of them. Perhaps 60 wins was a stretch, but it was a young up and coming 45 win team last year - with any reasonable growth out of the young guys, 50-55 wins was very doable.

Meanwhile this Celtics team is going to fuck around and win 55 games in a season most of the world thought they were tanking.

HokageEzio | Knicks

1 | 3 hours ago

The Pistons have had stretches of this season where they’ve had the best record in basketball. They were definitely not expected to do that.

Waesrdtfyg0987 | Celtics

1 | 2 hours ago

It’s a lot closer than people want to think. Anything over a 50 win team with the Pistons is a success but the big difference is talent, Celtics were only predicted to be a .500 team because of Joe. He’s gone deep bench rotating a ton to put this together.

Im__Ron__Burgundy | Celtics

70 | 13 hours ago

You would’ve been laughed off the sub if you said Boston would have the second best net rating in the nba ³⁄₄ of the way through the season after the offseason moves. Just an insane year.

shangalang69 | Raptors

33 | 13 hours ago

i had their under 42.5 or whatever it was. boy am i eating crow lol

j mazzy coty for me, you cannot convince me this collection of players is worth this record

dev_vvvvv | Celtics

27 | 12 hours ago

The thing I come back to is the Celtics have a playing payroll of about $132 million with Tatum out.

The team with the lowest payroll is the 14-45 Nets with $154 million. After that it's the Grizzlies and Jazz, then a bunch of teams in the $180-$190 million area (including Boston if you include Tatum).

shangalang69 | Raptors

10 | 11 hours ago

jesus.

efshoemaker | Celtics

6 | 5 hours ago

If we’re using active payroll then Utah is down around $110m (and when Lauri is out they’re at like $70m lol).

not_Brendan | Celtics

1 | 2 hours ago

Pritchard on that $7 M contract plus Queta on basically a min deal helps a ton.

TofuTofu | Knicks

-9 | 11 hours ago

a bit disengenuous to not use their ‘playing payroll’ too

dev_vvvvv | Celtics

18 | 10 hours ago

I’m not going through the other 29 teams but feel free to do so if you think the Celtics aren’t way overperforming their payroll and roster.

Chief-Superintendent

2 | 11 hours ago

J-Mazzy!! Is he a rapper? Where can I listen to his raps?

shangalang69 | Raptors

3 | 10 hours ago

usually spits some bars in celtics’ post game pressers

YewEhVeeInbound | Celtics

1 | 4 hours ago

Funny enough, The Celtics had 30-1 odds of winning the Finals at the start of the year. Now they’re at 9-1.

brnccnt7

10 | 11 hours ago

True

This year taught me that Jaylen Brown is a legit superstar top 10 player and coach Mazzulla is legit

I admire the Celtics consistency and defensive identity as a Pistons fan

Honestly they’re the model for success in the east

yourlilpissboi | Celtics

6 | 5 hours ago

The brain trust of Brad and Joe is something else

fuzzythinker | Nuggets

20 | 13 hours ago

Nah, other than being fired in a year or 2 after COTY, not getting a COTY adds to his and Erik’s legacy at this point.

deets23_ | Celtics

3 | 5 hours ago

And Brad’s

Chessh2036 | Hawks

14 | 12 hours ago

Season predictions had Celtics either missing the playoffs or the being in the Play-In lol. Joe Mazzulla is an incredible head coach.

(And shoutout Brad Stevens, an amazing GM)

champsorchumps

8 | 13 hours ago

Incidentally they are tied for the #1 defensive rating with OKC if you combine the last 5 seasons:

Ask Screwball: Best defensive rating over the past 5 seasons

	Team	Tm DRtg	G	Tm ORtg	Tm NetRtg
1.	Boston Celtics	112.0	389	120.6	8.6
	Oklahoma City Thunder	112.0	390	116.6	4.6
3.	Cleveland Cavaliers	113.1	390	117.9	4.8
	Minnesota Timberwolves	113.1	389	116.9	3.8
5.	Miami Heat	113.3	389	115.3	1.9

iggymcfly

2 | 3 hours ago

They have the #1 offense AND #1 defense in the league with Jaylen Brown on the bench.

After last night’s drubbing of the Bucks, the Boston Celtics are now top 5 in defensive rating for the 5th consecutive year.

Ask Screwball: Best defensive rating over the past 5 seasons