Boston Celtics: 3 ways every east contender can get over the hump

The Miami Heat are the current kings of the Eastern Conference but that doesn’t figure to be an easy crown to keep. How can the Boston Celtics and other east contenders get over the hump this offseason?

The future of the Eastern Conference is in good hands–whether it is the hands of the Boston Celtics or otherwise. For the first time in what feels like forever, the former “least-ern” conference looks likely to bring more to the table in 2020-21 than the Western Conference.

Of course, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers loom as the favorites out west for as long as he and Anthony Davis are donning purple and gold. Besides them, though, there aren’t many surefire world-beaters on the opposite coast.

The Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets could be looking to blow up overpriced and volatile cores, the Denver Nuggets are going to have to start making tough salary-cap decisions, and the Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz are middling contenders unlikely to ascend any higher next season. This is all without even mentioning the possible decline of the former perennial championship-winning Golden State Warriors.

Luka Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks loom as a dark-horse contender, but there are five teams in the Eastern Conference that are all more likely to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy in 2021 (and hopefully in front of a capacity crowd unlike this year’s winner).

The Houdini is going to look into those five teams in today’s feature. How can every Eastern Conference contender get better this offseason in hopes of getting over the hump?

Read on to find out: