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Can the Boston Celtics win the Eastern Conference in 2018?

By Jack Phillips

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 5: Boston Celtics Jaylen Brown howls after the Philadelphia 76ers missed the final shot in overtime giving Boston a victory. The Philadelphia 76ers host the Boston Celtics in Game Three of the Eastern Conference semifinals at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on May 5, 2018. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 5: Boston Celtics Jaylen Brown howls after the Philadelphia 76ers missed the final shot in overtime giving Boston a victory. The Philadelphia 76ers host the Boston Celtics in Game Three of the Eastern Conference semifinals at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on May 5, 2018. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /
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Can this year be different for the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference?

This might seem a little too soon (especially since the Boston Celtics just dropped Game 4 against the Philadelphia 76ers), but is it possible that the Celtics could defy all odds and make it to the NBA Finals?

Well, they still have to close out the series against the Sixers, but it doesn’t necessarily seem out of the question. With the Celtics barely making it out of the 1st round to now nearing the completion of a series with Philadelphia, the hypothetical scenario seems more plausible.

That being said, the Cleveland Cavaliers have just swept their way past the Toronto Raptors. Remember, Lebron James is part of the Cavaliers roster and he hasn’t made it out of the East since the 2010 season.

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In other words, James has made the NBA Finals for seven years in-a-row. So, it won’t be an easy task for the young Celtics, assuming that both them and the Cavaliers make it to the Conference Finals.

Although, the young core in Boston has been performing admirably throughout the postseason thus far, and it makes you wonder how far this team could go if Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward were still present in the lineup.

Terry Rozier, Al Horford, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have carried this team through their star’s injury-ridden season and it’s safe to say that little to no people expected this from such inexperienced players.

In some ways, they seem sort of similar to the 2012-2013 Chicago Bulls, as that team played the entire season without Derrick Rose (a former MVP) and still managed to make it the 2nd round of the Playoffs and lost to Lebron’s Miami Heat. Boston has endured the pain and heartache of losing their superstars very well and they only need one more win to make it to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals against the same team as last year.

Although both the Celtics and Cavaliers rosters have changed dramatically from the season before, the series could be somewhat similar to what we saw back in late May of last year.

Next: Boston Celtics fall to 76ers in game four

James might have less help this year and Boston may be performing even better, but no one has been able to stop the King in a long time. Will Boston break that streak? Only time will tell, but the only thing for sure is that it won’t be easy.

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