7 Biggest Threats to the Celtics' Chances to Repeat as NBA Champions
By Andrew Fiore
Ever since they won their 18th Championship in June, Celtics fans have been on cloud nine. After the team put on a parade for the ages, Jayson Tatum was put on the covers of NBA 2k25 and Sports Illustrated magazine before signing a five-year, $315 million contract.
After he was controversially benched in the Olympics, he won gold with Team USA with Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, giving the teammates more hardware to take home after their dream summer. Finals MVP Jaylen Brown returned to the team looking physically stronger than ever on Media Day after an intense summer of training, a sign that he is hungry for more.
On top of that, the team did not lose any major pieces, unlike most reigning championship teams. Despite the never-ending celebration going on in Boston, the rest of the league spent its summer reloading with their sights set on catching the Celtics. Many around the NBA believe that the Celtics had an easy path to the NBA Finals and benefited from injuries to opposing stars.
Free agency and trades also revamped several teams and shuffled the hierarchy of the league. With a massive target painted on Boston's back, here are the seven biggest threats to the Celtics on their path to Banner 19.