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Who Should The Boston Celtics Be Most Cautious Of In The East?

By Jack Phillips

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 14: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Boston Celtics reacts during the NBA game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on November 14, 2017 in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matteo Marchi/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 14: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Boston Celtics reacts during the NBA game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on November 14, 2017 in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matteo Marchi/Getty Images) /
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The Boston Celtics are the most promising team in the East, but who is their biggest competition

The Boston Celtics are the best team in the league this year (based on record) and seem to have the type of chemistry most teams only develop near playoff time. The team has had very little struggles throughout the year and are only getting better as we enter the heart of the NBA season. The team was expected to be impressive, but Boston has indeed been more than just that.

And as every great NBA team understands, with great power comes great responsibility. The Miami Heat from 2011-2014 as well as the current Golden State Warriors share this same understanding, as being the best means that there are going to be teams trying to knock you down. For Miami, it was the Chicago Bulls, and it still is the Cleveland Cavaliers for Golden State.

This then begs the question: If we are indeed entering an era where Boston is the team to beat and the Celtics will continue to be championship contenders, who is/are the team(s) that is/are going to be the largest threat(s) to their championship hopes? I have a couple of answers, but to make this easier for myself and anyone reading this, we’ll keep the teams limited to the East.

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The first threat to Boston has to be the Cavaliers. I know, this should come as no surprise to anyone. Cleveland won the NBA Finals in 2016 and are still full of talent. Lebron James leads the squad, followed by Isaiah Thomas (upon his return), Jae Crowder and Kevin Love. More role players continue to develop on the roster, and now that Cleveland is getting back into the swing of things, the Cavaliers are definitely a team to watch out for.

My dark horse for this season is going to be the Philadelphia 76ers. Please don’t hate me Boston fans, but you have to admit that trusting the process might finally be starting to pay off. Joel Embiid has been making a name for himself in the MVP race (not as good as Kyrie Irving has, but still impressive), and Ben Simmons is already starting to show signs of stardom.

The role players for the team have also been doing a great job. J.J. Redick and T.J. McConnell have been a huge help to the 76er’s offense, and recently resigned forward Robert Covington has come out of nowhere over the last two seasons and played extremely well. The 76ers may not be a contender in the East just yet, but they are creeping closer and closer each game, and Boston should keep their eyes on them at all times.

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The good news is that Boston is still the best team in the East as of now (based on record). I need to include that parenthesis because when Cleveland kicks into playoff mode, they are a completely different monster. The Celtics have earned their title of best record in the East thus far, and as long as they watch out for the rest of the league, then they should have continued success.

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