In a first for the NBA, three Boston Celtics — Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Jayson Tatum — each drained at least 250 3-pointers this season, shattering franchise and league norms.
Behind this barrage of long-range firepower, Boston ran to a 61-21 mark (second in the Eastern Conference) and now stands on the verge of the second round with a 3-1 series lead over the Orlando Magic.
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The Celtics won the first two games in the series at home but fell to the Magic, 95-93, in Game 3 before coming back to win Game 4, 107-98.
On Tuesday, the NBA celebrated this historic achievement on Instagram.
White paced the group with 265 makes from deep, setting a new Celtics single-season record, while Pritchard chipped in 255, and Tatum closed with exactly 250.
Fans were quick to react to the news, with one user commenting, “250 threes in one game is crazy,” and another pointing to tonight’s game, saying, “Boutta be a Boston Three Party tonight.”
Others were more critical, with one user saying, “Cool record but back-to-back champs is better,” and another firing back with, “Curry doing this by himself.”
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One other poster said, “Celtics by 19 today,” with another fan commenting, “Mazzulla ball is basically a cheat code! Keep crushing it!! ☘️☘️.”
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0).© Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
This depth of shooting propelled Boston to top-four league rankings on both ends, boasting a 119.5 offensive rating (2nd) and 110.1 defensive rating (4th).
Now, just one roadblock remains before the East semis: closing out the Magic in front of their home crowd.
They host Game 5 on Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. ET.
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