The pressure is on for the Celtics as playoffs near

Catch up fast: The Celtics have had an impressive run, from its top offensive rating and strong defense to being the only team to exceed 60 wins this season.

• But Boston has been here before.
• Locals remember the sting of watching the Celtics fall to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals only for the team to get knocked out in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat last year.

State of play: The Celtics are now 64-18 on the season after defeating the Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards this weekend.

• The playoffs start later this month. The Celts will face the lower-seeded team to emerge from the Play-In tournament, which starts Tuesday.

The intrigue: The last time the Celtics finished with the league's best record was in 2007-08, the last time they won the NBA Finals.

What they're saying: "All year we played good basketball to put ourselves in this position," says veteran center Al Horford. "We know what we're up against."