Banners are the standard in Boston, and for this group of Celtics, they are the expectation.

Last season it was Banner 18 or bust, and in the famous words of radio broadcaster Sean Grande, “the mission demanded is mission accomplished.” And as soon as that banner reached the top of the rafters the attention shifted towards the next one. A fair line of thought, but oftentimes — especially in Boston — the smaller moments fall by the wayside. For many fans all that matters is the end result — was a championship won? Anything else is deemed a failure.

That’s not to say that if the Celtics fall short of repeating it won’t be considered a letdown. It very much would be. This group is far too talented and have proven time and time again that they are a championship-level team. But many teams would kill to even just be a consistent playoff team, let alone have a chance to be considered one of the best in league history.

What the Celtics are doing is special, and with the looming luxury tax bill, it shouldn’t be taken for granted. After all, they are just the fifth team this century to follow up a championship with a 60-win season.

“Another incredible season,” Tatum said. “Obviously the goal is to compete for championships, but I think enjoying the process along the way and cherishing those small wins per se and acknowledging that we had another incredible regular season (is) something to be proud of.”

Boston’s locker room has clearly placed an emphasis on appreciating the journey and everything that comes with the grind of the regular season. Maybe it’s because deep down they know this roster may be in for a shakeup, but a defining component of their run last year was not skipping any steps as well, so it could be a mix of both.

“It’s a testament to the guys, their competitive nature, the ability to handle good times and not so good times and the standard they hold themselves to,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said. “It goes back to the duality, what we did is great and now it doesn’t matter because we have to continue the journey.”

The fact of the matter is that this group has the chance to be in rarified air, if they aren’t already there. If Boston does repeat, it’ll be just the second 60-win team to do so this century along with the 2012 Heat.

But they do have some past ghosts to get rid of first. One of those being that the past five NBA champs haven’t made it past the second round. Another being that the last chance Boston had to accomplish this feat, it fell short to Orlando in the second round.

If the Celtics do end up repeating, they’ll be the first Celtic team to do so since 1969.

“It’s something that we are aware of, but for us it’s about understanding the opportunity in front of us,” Al Horford said. “We all understand what the goal is.”

All of this is just to say don’t take this run for granted. It’s sometimes tough to recognize you’re in the middle of something truly special while you are actually in the middle of it, but it may be more important to do so with this group than ever.

Watching the latest episodes of “Celtics City” shined a light on this very situation. The 80s were the highest of the highs, filled with three titles and led by one of the greatest players of all time in Larry Bird. The 90s on the other hand were filled with injuries, the death of Reggie Lewis and Rick Pitino telling fans to stop caring so much.

You just don’t know how long the good times will last. All signs point to Boston having another deep playoff run, hopefully into June, so enjoy every win and even loss, because playing in the biggest moments the game has to offer aren’t guaranteed — even for the Boston Celtics.