With five games left in the NBA regular season, the Boston Celtics are locked into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. They will likely once again finish the year with over 60 wins, but the Cavaliers' surprise emergence will prevent Boston from having home-court advantage throughout the East playoffs.
Yet, the Celtics are still overwhelming favorites (-145) on FanDuel Sportsbook to win the East and make the NBA Finals.
With arguably the deepest and most talented roster in the NBA and championship pedigree, the Celtics should be considered the favorites.
That is why it would be a disappointing outcome if Boston flamed out earlier than the NBA Finals. This would also have significant ripple effects on the team.
An early exit would force GM Brad Stevens' hand in the offseason. The Celtics have difficult decisions to make in the immediate future considering how expensive the roster is. Jrue Holiday may be the odd man out in those circumstances.
Holiday turns 35 this summer. While he remains a valuable part of this team, he is also on the decline. He is due $32.4 million next season and $34.8 million for the 2026-27 season. Considering how he has already taken a significant step back this season, it's hard to see him worth that contract.
Plus, both Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser are locked in on long-term, team-friendly deals. As they enter their prime, pushing one of them -probably Pritchard- into the starting lineup makes a ton of sense in terms of finances and roster construction.
Winning another title this year could certainly change the calculation for the Celtics. The new ownership would likely hesitate before breaking up the core that won them back-to-back championships. If they come up short, however, and Holiday doesn't turn back the clock in the playoffs, his stint in Boston may come to an end quicker than some Celtics fans realize.
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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.