The Boston Celtics are a team that is expected to compete for a title this season. If they fail to reach the NBA Finals, will the entire year be a disappointment?
The Boston Celtics are coming off a season that saw them win 55 games and grab the two seed in the Eastern Conference, only to be eliminated once again by the LeBron James led Cleveland Cavaliers. Still, it felt like a success. With Gordon Hayward suffering a season ending injury in the first game of the season and rookie Jayson Tatum having to fill the void, followed by a late season Kyrie Irving surgery, most fans never would have predicted an intense seven game series with LeBron in the ECF.
Does last season’s success make this season “finals or bust” for Boston? Between LeBron James leaving the East for the Los Angeles Lakers, Hayward returning to the starting 5 and youngsters Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown continuing to develop, I certainly believe so. They are set up perfectly to make the run that they have failed at the previous two seasons.
No one is predicting the Celtics to be the 2018-2019 NBA Champions, but getting to the NBA Finals would go a long way. A Finals appearance likely increases the chances that Kyrie Irving signs a contract extension after the 2019-2020 season. Along with that, it gives the young core another year of a deep playoff run under their belts.
With that being said, the Celtics do have some legitimate competition this season. The Philadelphia 76ers are a young, hungry team that has proven they can win games. Though the Celtics completed a gentleman’s sweep of “The Process” in May, without Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving, this team can not be overlooked. Yes, the Celtics are the more complete team and will instantly improve from last season when Hayward steps on the court, but Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are both getting better and they are expecting a healthy Markelle Fultz.
The Toronto Raptors also project as a contender to come out of the East. However, they do have a big question mark in their star player. Toronto traded for Kawhi Leonard this offseason, a move that could make this team the best team in the conference, or backfire on them. Kawhi is considered one of the best two way players in the game. He also has plenty of playoff experience, winning a ring with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014. Given Toronto has taken heat for not performing well in the playoffs the last few season, a healthy Kawhi seems like a perfect solution. But things are not that simple.
Kawhi’s commitment to playing in Toronto has been questioned. His requested trade destination was Los Angeles, leaving many to believe he may not even play this season. If this is true, the Raptors instantly fall back from championship contenders to just another team, but per NBA.com, Raptors president, Masai Ujiri states that Leonard is “happy and healthy”.
Outside of the Celtics, Raptors and 76ers, the competition in the East is relatively shallow. These three teams will probably dominate the conference. The Celtics outlived both teams in the playoffs last season. This team has the ability to make a serious run at a title.