BOSTON — The Boston Celtics moved with purpose even before starting practice Wednesday morning. Several players, including Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, could be seen lifting weights. On each hoop at the team’s practice facility, other players were going through early basketball workouts. Sam Hauser and Luka Garza operated with urgency while working on their shooting from inside and outside the arc.
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The high intensity level seemed appropriate for a team scheduled to start the playoffs Sunday, but Payton Pritchard said he didn’t notice anything outside the norm from his team.
“We know it’s the playoffs,” Pritchard told The Athletic, “but I don’t think there is a different intensity. When you prepare like every day is the championship, there shouldn’t be a change. It’s, you live in that state of mind.”
The Celtics did not know their first-round playoff opponent when they held their first postseason practice. Because of that, coach Joe Mazzulla said they intended to focus primarily on themselves. Later in the week, they will have time to prepare for the Philadelphia 76ers, who earned the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference by beating the Orlando Magic in a Play-In game Wednesday night.
Before learning whom they would play, the Celtics were looking forward to their 12th consecutive playoff appearance. Jaylen Brown, in his 10th season, has never missed the postseason.
“It’s a more intense setting, but my mentality is similar (to what it is in the regular season),” Brown said. “I’m very grateful to be here. You don’t always get promised to be on a 50-win team heading into the playoffs, so it’s been a luxury here being able to be a part of that, being a part of a few teams that have gone into the playoffs with that type of momentum.”
Brown is used to entering the playoffs with a realistic chance to contend, but he took pride in the different path the Celtics traveled this season. They needed to find new ways to win after dealing with an exodus of talent and Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury. They needed to persevere through an 0-3 start after going through two straight seasons without losing that many games in a row at any point. They needed to prepare a new-look supporting cast to contribute despite a widespread lack of experience.
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The Celtics answered the challenges well enough to finish second in the Eastern Conference at 56-26. Given the preseason expectations for his team, Brown called the success “amazing.”
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“I’m excited (for the playoffs),” Brown said. “I’m prepared mentally. Physically, I’m prepared. I feel much better than I did last year going into the playoffs. So nothing really left to say, but let’s just go do it.”
One year ago, Brown hobbled into the playoffs, missing eight of Boston’s final 16 regular-season games with an injured right knee. The issue, which eventually required an offseason procedure, forced him to receive injections before the postseason began. Though he still delivered some big games in the playoffs, including a 26-point, 12-assist, eight-rebound Game 5 against the New York Knicks to keep the Celtics’ hopes alive temporarily in the second round, he was clearly diminished throughout his team’s 11 postseason games. He shot a career playoff low 44.1 percent from the field, including an atypical 49.2 percent on 2-point attempts. He had shot 60.2 percent from inside the arc throughout the playoffs while helping the Celtics win the 2024 championship.
“For sure, I feel a lot different than I did going into last year,” Brown said. “Mentally and physically. So I’m grateful for that. It’s still going to be a journey in itself, but I don’t have any expectations. My expectation is to come out and just be as best I can for my team every single night.”
Though the bottom half of the Celtics rotation has very little playoff experience, the core players have been through enough postseason trips to realize they need to be ready for anything. Brown and Tatum have won 15 playoff series together, including the 2022 NBA Finals. They have also ended their season at home twice in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals and another time in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. In a league featuring so much player movement, their longevity as a duo is rare. They have been through nearly a decade of postseason highs and lows alongside each other.
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“I think it’s great,” Brown said. “I think it’s been a historic sort of run. We were able to deliver a championship in 2024. Unfortunately, we got an opportunity in the past that got away from us. But we’ve been right there for a long amount of time. We’ve gained a lot of experience. I’ve personally gained a lot of experience. It’s been a pleasure. Everything isn’t always perfect, but it’s not supposed to be. It’s part of the journey.”
Nobody knows yet where that journey will bring the Celtics this season, but they recognize the opportunity in front of them.
“We have a chance to do something special,” Derrick White said. “This is what you play for. This is what we work for. When you put on this Celtics jersey, we know what we’re going for. So this is the first step, and we’re really excited.”
How excited? Pritchard jumped out of his seat near the Celtics practice court as soon as he finished answering questions. Before practice started, he needed to put in a bit more work. He hustled over to the basket on the other side of the court to go through some drills.
Pritchard looked ready for the playoffs, but maybe he always is.
“I don’t think Joe’s coming in here changing now (because the playoffs are starting soon),” Pritchard said. “We live in that state of mind of, ‘We’re going for a championship.’ So that never changes day to day.”