ESPN’s Zach Lowe thinks the NBA ‘should be terrified of the Celtics’

"This team wants history, and they're ready to chase it."

The Celtics’ chances of repeating: Despite being only months removed from one of the most dominant title runs in recent NBA history, the Celtics enter the 2024-25 season with plenty of motivation.

Boston won 64 games in the regular season and went a combined 16-3 in the playoffs to clinch the 18th championship in the team’s esteemed history. Yet whether it was critics questioning the lack of difficult opponents, Jaylen Brown’s Olympic team snub, or Jayson Tatum’s inexplicably small Olympic role as part of Team USA, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla will have no trouble motivating his team.

That could be scary news for the rest of the NBA, according to the opinion of ESPN NBA analyst and senior writer Zach Lowe. Speaking during a Tuesday segment on “NBA Today,” Lowe — after hearing comments from Celtics players and coaches on the team’s media day — explained why Boston rivals shouldn’t look past the defending champions.

“Everybody should be terrified of the Celtics,” said Lowe. “The rest of the league should be terrified watching all of those comments, because the Celtics have everybody coming back. They’re fully loaded. Before all this happened, before all the Olympic stuff, before the DNPs that Tatum is clearly still irked about, they were already the team best positioned to repeat since the Warriors with [Kevin Durant] and Steph [Curry] were the last team to repeat.

“The Celtics are looking that goal in the eye,” Lowe said of Boston’s aspirations to win a second straight title. “They’re talking about it. They’re saying it out loud, and the rest of the league should look at this team with two stars in their absolute prime, perfect complementary players all over the roster, and listen to these comments and say, ‘Uh oh.’ There’s not going to be any complacency. There’s not going to be any satisfaction. This team wants history, and they’re ready to chase it.”

The regular season gets underway for the Celtics on Oct. 22 at home against the Knicks. Boston is currently seen as the odds-on favorite to win the NBA championship, with the Oklahoma City Thunder second.

Scores and schedules:

The Red Sox defeated the Blue Jays 6-5 on Tuesday, with Vaughn Grissom going 3-for-4. Boston and Toronto play again tonight at 7:07 p.m.

Also from Tuesday, the Bruins beat the Capitals 4-2 in the second game of preseason.

More from Boston.com:

One to watch: Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell was named Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year. The 22-year-old produced a fantastic season at multiple levels in Boston’s system. Combined, Campbell totaled a .330 average (.997 OPS) with 20 home runs and 24 stolen bases

Bill O’Brien’s side of the story: Though he’s talked about it before, enjoy this clip of the former Patriots offensive coordinator recalling the time he got into a well-documented shouting match with Tom Brady during the 2011 season.

On this day: In 1994, the Patriots defeated the Lions 23-17. Drew Bledsoe threw for 251 yards, including a seven-yard touchdown pass to Ben Coates.

New England was able to survive a characteristically excellent day from Lions running back Barry Sanders, who ripped off touchdown runs of 35 and 39 yards (including a highlight-level play that completely turned would-be tacklers in the wrong direction). Sanders finished his day with 131 yards and two scores, but it wasn’t enough.

Daily highlight: The Padres turned a triple play to clinch not only a 4-2 win over the Dodgers, but also a playoff spot. Former Red Sox NESN play-by-play commentator Don Orsillo was on the call, and did not disappoint.