The Boston Celtics are one of the league’s top teams, and there are a few things they have going for them to help them make the Finals.

The Boston Celtics have had a surprising season, in the best possible way. Their current record is 41-19, and they are in a tight battle with the Toronto Raptors for the second seed in the East.

A balanced scoring attack has led the way for the squad, as they have three players averaging 20+ points a night. On top of that, Gordon Hayward sits at 17 points per game, and Marcus Smart has chipped in 12.9 points every night.

Their main starting five: Kemba Walker – Jaylen Brown – Hayward – Jayson Tatum – Daniel Theis has played just 17 games together, despite the team having played 60 games already.

Despite that inconsistency, they are a top 10 team in both offensive rating and defensive rating (NBA.com) If their offense improves over their next few games, they will find themselves in the top five for both of those categories.

Many people view the C’s as a second-round exit, but they have a very real chance to not only make it past the second round, but also make it one step further, and get to the NBA Finals.

However, if the Celtics fail to make it to the second seed by the end of the season, then history may not be on their side.

Since the playoffs became a 16 team event, 38 of the 70 teams (54 percent) that have made the NBA Finals were the top seed in their conference. On top of that, 58 of them (83 percent) have been the top seed or the second seed (BusinessInsider).

While it won’t be impossible, the Celtics certainly won’t have past events in their favor. Despite that, there are three reasons why the Celtics can make (and win) the NBA Finals.