72 wins for the Boston Celtics?

After beating the New York Knickerbockers last night, the Boston Celtics are currently 26-2 and riding an 18 game winning streak. The Boston Celtics are making a push to become one of the best teams in NBA history. After going 66-16 and winning the NBA Championship last year, it was expected that they would continue to be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference and be a favorite to return to the NBA Finals. Could they challenge the NBA record for wins in a season by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls. Only one team in NBA history has ever won 70 games in a season (the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls went 72-10). The Bulls got out to a 41-3 mark after 44 games and it will be hard for the Celtics to match that, but they can still make a run at 70 wins. Looking closer at the numbers it appears that there wont be a drop off without injury to the Boston Three Party (Garnett, Pierce, or Allen).

Point Differential
2007-08 100.5 to 90.3 point differential 10.2 ppg #1
2008-09 101.3 to 90.9 point differential 10.4 ppg #2 (Cleveland 13.3)

Look for the Celtics to get to 70 wins and possibly challenge the all-time record of 72 wins. A big step towards the mark will be a Christmas Day rematch of the Finals with the LA Lakers.