Speaking to a crowd in Boston this week, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla gave major props to the front office for how they’ve run the team. According to Mazzulla, the Cs are one the best organizations in the world and deserve credit for maintaining their high bar of excellence.

“People don’t really understand what goes into organizational leadership, organizational alignment. The Celtics are one of the top organizations in the world — from top to bottom. Everyone is on the same page.”

From the New York Yankees and Manchester City F.C. to the New England Patriots, there are many contenders for the world’s most successful sports organization. While the Celtics may not be among the most popular in terms of the volume of their fanbase, they certainly rank highly among the best of the best.

Since the NBA was first launched in 1949, the Celtics have consistently been in the fight for the Larry O’Brien trophy. After the latest championship win this past summer, the Celtics have the most titles of any other team with 18 spread over 75 seasons.

While good luck and random chance have a lot to do with their success, the Celtics have always been ahead of the field when it comes to running their team and building up their roster from the top down. Starting with Bill Russell in the 50s and 60s, the Celtics went from superstar to superstar in order to establish themselves as a dynasty in the East.

Thanks to legends like Robert Parish, John Havlicek, Larry Bird, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett, the Celtics were always in the mix for a championship run and they were consistently battling with the best in the league for a spot at the top of the standings.

Today, they remain one of basketball’s best-run teams. With former coach Brad Stevens leading the way, the Celtics have built possibly their greatest roster ever with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis. They went 64-18 in the East and dominated in the playoffs with a 16-3 record to win the championship.

With that core locked in for years to come, the Celtics are poised to be a championship-level threat for a while and it sticks to a longtime trend of the franchise always being somewhat competitive in the Eastern Conference.

While there are many reasons for their success, it seems the biggest difference is the internal hierarchy that runs a tight ship. Unlike Jeanie Buss and the Lakers, only those with a proven track record can make the decisions, and every decision they make is made solely with the intention of winning.

So while it remains to be seen if the Cs can defend their title, nobody can doubt that they have a strong chance to make another run next year. The Celtics have a level of consistency and excellence that so few teams achieve and after all the work they’ve done to get here, they will not so easily let it go.

As the head coach of this group, Mazzulla’s role has been well documented and his multi-year contract is proof that he has earned the trust of the Celtics front office. But with the bar set so high, only wins will keep the bosses happy in Boston and they will do whatever it takes as a team to meet their ultra-high expectations.