Boston Celtics are being overlooked in NBA Power Rankings

Across the board, the Celtics have been ranked as the NBA’s 6th best team before the 2017-18 season starts. That’s way too low in my opinion.

So, many say the Boston Celtics are the biggest threat to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East. Well, it should be the other way around. Boston should be the favorite in the East and the Cavaliers are the biggest threat to them.Spurs, Cavaliers, Thunder, Rockets, and Warriors all consistently ahead of Celtics.

Top NBA sites have released their initial NBA Power Rankings, and they all have Boston at #6. Now, I know the Western Conference is tough, but I have to disagree with the rankings here. The San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, and Golden State Warriors are all consistently ahead of Celtics in these rankings. Boston should at least be ahead of San Antonio and Cleveland, up in 4th place.

The Celtics will finish with a better record than both of those teams, and they’re going to start with a win against Cleveland on the road Tuesday night to open the NBA season.

Here’s what the “experts” had to say about our Boston Celtics as they placed them at #6 in their Power Rankings.

Fansided: 6th

"The Celtics from last year no longer exist — this is the price of Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward being added to your team. The general Celtics system will remain in place, but these are pieces that require adjusting to. That’ll take time."

This one makes sense. The Celtics will take some time to mesh and come together, but I don’t think it will take as long or be as difficult as some think. The team is full of unselfish players, and that will go a long way towards helping them blend and become a powerful team.

Hoops Habit: 6th

"With Kyrie entering a potential F-U year, Gordon Hayward signing on and Marcus Smartset to terrorize people from the bench, the Celtics should compete for the top seed in the East. However with young players like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum looking to fill big minutes, and with so many new pieces to incorporate, Brad Stevens will have his hands full if the goal is to knock off the King."

The Celtics WILL knock off the King, both on Tuesday night and when all is said and done this season. Boston will claim the #1 seed in the East, and they’ll face the Cavaliers in the Conference Finals once again. Watch who comes out on top this time!

ESPN: 6th

"The Celtics return just four players — Al Horford, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brownand Terry Rozier — from a team that won an East-best 53 games last season. According to Elias Sports Bureau research, Boston is the first team in NBA history to return four or fewer players the season after leading a conference in wins."

So, all ESPN did here was toss out a fact? No opinion or analysis? Typical. Thank you for becoming a copy of an NBA history book.

Bleacher Report: 6th

"There’s little question the Boston Celtics will score with Kyrie Irving and Hayward joining Al Horford in Brad Stevens’ offense, but this team’s performance on the other end could be an issue. And if the Celtics go small around Horford, a notoriously poor rebounder, they could get demolished on the glass."

Al Horford will rebound this season. I guarantee it. I understand though that he has to prove it, so ranking the Celtics here with this reasoning makes sense. Aron Baynes and Marcus Morris will also help on the glass, and I don’t think Boston will be down near 27th again like they were last year.

Yahoo: 6th

"No Marcus Morris the first week of the season with a knee injury, that means rookie Jayson Tatum likely gets the starts. That could add to the one big question about the Celtics — can they get enough stops?"

This is a fair point, but Jayson Tatum has what it takes to be a great defender. Boston will also turn to Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart to make stops. There are plenty of guys on this Celtics team that can step up on defense.

How I’d rank the top 6

Clearly, my rankings would look a little different than all of these sites. Here’s how I’d have things as the NBA season gets started.

#1 Golden State Warriors
#2 Houston Rockets
#3 Oklahoma City Thunder
#4 Boston Celtics
#5 Cleveland Cavaliers
#6 San Antonio Spurs

How would you have the NBA teams in your Power Rankings? Let me know on Twitter @CandCFansided!

Next: Celtics season opener preview

The Boston Celtics will open the NBA season on Tuesday night on the road as they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers at 8 PM ET on TNT. Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward and the rest of the team will look to knock off the King and show why they should be ranked higher.

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