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The Boston Celtics Continue to Dominate the East

By Jack Phillips

BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 5: Daniel Theis #27 of the Boston Celtics handles the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 5, 2018 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 5: Daniel Theis #27 of the Boston Celtics handles the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 5, 2018 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Boston Celtics continue to be the very best in the Eastern Conference

Seven games and counting. The Boston Celtics just keep on rolling as they currently stand at 1st in the East with an overall record of 34-10. Their most recent win, in fact, comes against a fellow Atlantic Division rival in the Philadelphia 76ers, that game being an 11 point spread.

And as this team rolls into the second-half of their season, it’s important to look elsewhere around the league to see just who could be Boston’s biggest threat.

Well, the easiest two answers have to be the Toronto Raptors as well as the Cleveland Cavaliers. For Toronto, it’s been an overall successful season. They have continued to trail the Celtics while also continuing to stay ahead of Cleveland.

DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry remain one of the best backcourts in the NBA, plus the great post presence of Serge Ibaka has been a huge help to the Raptors, giving them a steady pace in the standings.

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On the other hand, Cleveland has been quite the roller coaster of a squad up to this point in the season. The roster seems to constantly be changing, with players like Derrick Rose and Isaiah Thomas randomly leaving and coming back to play.

With those two players specifically, they are the two and only explosive point guards (position wise) on the roster, which may have something to do with their inconsistent play.

The good news for Cleveland is that they have LeBron James to continuously clean up the mess for them. The King has been the key instigator in their offense and defense, and until the Cavaliers come back to full strength within their roster, they will continue to be left behind by the Celtics and Raptors. Kyrie Irving may have been right after all in his decision to leave the Cavaliers.

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However, the Celtics are still miles away from being in the clear, especially come Playoff time. Everyone knows that every team becomes a different animal in the Playoffs, and Cleveland has been the biggest animal over the past few years. As time wears on and Boston grows, it’ll be interesting to see if the Celtics are the biggest animals in the East and worthy of challenging a Western Conference opponent in the Finals (let’s hope so).

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