The NBA’s first team to secure a postseason berth is the Boston Celtics.

To secure a berth in the top six of the playoffs, the Celtics needed to defeat the Phoenix Suns and the Philadelphia 76ers to fall to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday. They accomplished both. After Jaylen Brown defeated Kevin Durant and the Suns with a game-winning 37-point performance, Boston has one less thing to worry about this season.

The Celtics’ current goal is to secure the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Barring a catastrophic collapse, Boston should receive the top seed in the East with 9.5 games to spare over the Bucks, who are now ranked second. The Miami Heat, whom the Celtics lost to in the Eastern Conference Finals the previous season, would await them in the first round of the playoffs if the season ended today and the results of the play-in games kept the seventh and eighth seeds in place.

The Celtics’ dominance throughout the season makes their selection as the first seed in the playoffs unsurprising. Following the achievement, supporters gave Boston high marks for winning with 16 games left in the season.

Although the Celtics have had a fantastic regular season, Boston has higher goals in mind than merely the number one seed.

The Celtics are hoping to make a comeback and win it all this year after making it to the NBA Finals but losing in 2022. This year, Boston has relied heavily on players Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but they have also received strong play from Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps PorziņĢis, and others.

Anything can happen in the playoffs, but winning a seven-game series against Boston will require a lot from any club.