Ranking the 3 biggest obstacles for the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference

It’s January, but in Beantown, the focus is always ultimately on the playoffs. With the Boston Celtics looking like playoff locks, the Houdini takes a look at the three biggest obstacles separating the team from its first NBA Finals appearance in a decade.

It’s been an admittedly long time since the Boston Celtics have reached the zenith of professional basketball: the NBA Finals. Ten years feels like an especially long time considering the result was often very similar; decimation at the hands of one LeBron James and his Miami Heat/Cleveland Cavaliers teams.

It’s almost fitting that the King is now on the Los Angeles Lakers. While rivalries these days are more often determined by what beefs players have, there will always be history between the Lakers and our beloved Boston Celtics.

The “king” has his own rivalries these days out west. He has the crosstown Clippers to worry about, not to mention the next NBA great Luka Dioncic in Dallas. Oh, and James Harden‘s Houston Rockets. The list goes on, but it doesn’t include the C’s.

Boston’s list of rivals is local. While the chief rival seems like it should be the Nets–who Kyrie Irving was having secret backdoor talks with while still in a Celtics uniform–the reality is that Brooklyn is going nowhere fast in 2019-20 even with Irving healthy and in uniform.

Instead, the focus is on the three teams that stand in the way between the Boston Celtics and a shot at championship #18. Here are our top 3 obstacles for the C’s in the playoffs: