With LeBron James taking his talents to the Western Conference, the Boston Celtics are now a favorite in the East, but five teams stand in the way.
LeBron James is now a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, which means the Boston Celtics no longer have the greatest basketball player in the world in the way of their NBA Finals aspirations.
With the Cleveland Cavaliers no longer a threat (on paper anyways), Brad Stevens and his squad are now the favorites in the East for a couple of reasons. Yes, the King James throne now resides in the Western Conference, but the team in green came within a game of making it past LeBron this past season.
Not only did they nearly do the unthinkable with youth, they did it without two of their best players in Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. With those players returning healthy, the Celtics should be in the driver’s seat this upcoming season right?
If healthy, the answer is yes. However, that does not mean they won’t be challenged. There are a few teams in the East with players who give the Celtics trouble. Although Boston was able to surpass a couple of those teams without their star players, they still presented matchup problems that could get in the way of a 2018-19 NBA Finals trip.
So, looking at how the rosters are currently constructed, here are the five teams that can challenge the Boston Celtics for Eastern Conference supremacy.
Milwaukee Bucks
Led by the “Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, the Milwaukee Bucks to the Boston Celtics to Game 7 in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Although it would’ve been a much different series had the Celtics had both Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, the Bucks were a high-powered offense the C’s had problems defending at times.
Winning all their games at home, the Celtics found a way to slow the Bucks by allowing Antekokounmpo get his, but on the road Boston had trouble stopping players like Middleton, Thon Maker (yes Thon Maker) and Jabari Parker.
That could be a problem in 2018-19. With their roster mostly intact. The Bucks could be a major factor if they get better coaching. With the addition of free agent veteran big man Brook Lopez and first-round pick Donte DiVencenzo, the Bucks have improved in size and have added even more shooting.
With how the team’s sized up in the 2018 playoff series, this will be an intriguing matchup to watch in 2019.
Washington Wizards
Following a 43-39 season, the Washington Wizards have fallen off most people’s radar. However, with a healthy John Wall, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter Jr, the Wizards can be a factor in the East.
That is, if they can keep it together off the court.
Despite Wall missing the majority of the season, the Wizards still gave the Boston Celtics a tough time. With the backcourt of Wall and Beal, they can compete with the Celtics backcourt of Kyrie Irving and Jaylen Brown, but it’s the other positions where the C’s should have the upper hand.
With the Celtics holding the advantage at the swing position and off the bench, the Wizards could make things interesting down low with the rumored acquisition of Dwight Howard.
This could be a good addition for the Wizards, or it could go really bad. On a team that saw its share of drama during the 2017-18 season, adding Dwight Howard to the team could make them just as much of a non-factor if all the egos involved can’t keep it together.
In all, the Washington Wizards have the talent to be a factor, but could also falter fast if players don’t buy into the coach and/or each other.
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors were the North last season until they ran into LeBron James.
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Looking like the favorites in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, the Raptors faltered when going up against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals.
The four-game sweep at the hands of LeBron supported how many critics felt about the Raptors heading into the playoffs. They are a good regular season team that can’t figure it out in the playoffs.
Led by DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, the Raptors can’t be counted out, but a fully loaded Boston Celtics team should present the kind of roadblock James and the Cavs did. Unless they somehow add a third superstar player, it could be the same results for a team that fired Coach of the Year Dwayne Casey.
With that being said, Toronto has been a matchup problem for the Boston Celtics over the last few seasons. With LeBron James out of the way in the East, it is possible the Raptors will gain some confidence and make it further in the playoffs. If they do so, it will be a tough challenge for the Boston Celtics, but a challenge they should overcome if everyone is healthy.
Indiana Pacers
Don’t sleep on the Indiana Pacers.
Led by Victor Oladipo, the Pacers took LeBron James and the Cavaliers to the brink of elimination in the second round.
With up-and-coming players like power forward Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis along with the addition of free agent guard Tyreke Evans, Indiana has a nice mixture of young players and veterans to compete in the Eastern Conference.
How do they stack up against the Boston Celtics?
Oladipo is a tough matchup for any backcourt player in the league and has given the Celtics fits in past matchups. Turner has also proved to be a tough matchup. His athleticism around the rim has hurt Boston at times.
Beyond that, the Indiana Pacers are a team with a lot of confidence following their performance against the Cavs in the playoffs. If they get quality minutes out of players like Thaddeus Young, Doug McDermott, Evans and Bojan Bogadnovic, the Pacers can make some noise in the East.
It could be enough to keep the Boston Celtics alert throughout the regular season and certainly if the two teams meet in the playoffs.
Philadelpia 76ers
The rivalry is back on.
As two of the top teams in the East, the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers are primed to go head to head for the next several years.
Without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, the Celtics were able to halt the 76ers momentum in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. Although the C’s got it done in five games, the series was more competitive than that.
In fact, some believe Philadelphia gave away a couple of games. With the way Joel Embiid dominated and what Ben Simmons is capable of, the Celtics were able to overcome a team predicted to come out of the East.
If the 76ers somehow add disgruntled San Antonio Spurs star Kawhi Leonard to the mix, the showdown between these two teams will become even more interesting. As currently constructed, both teams should battle for the No. 1 seed in the East along with Toronto and perhaps Indiana.
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Who secures the No. 1 seed will have an inside track to winning the East and bragging rights for the 2019 season.
Hopefully, that will be the Boston Celtics. But, now that the process has arrived, they will be a constant roadblock in the C’s quest for Banner 18 and championships beyond that.