Who are the biggest threats to the Boston Celtics' pursuit of Banner 19?

The Boston Celtics conquered their demons and delivered Banner 18 to their faithful.

However, winning a championship means the Cs will now become the hunted next season and it will surely be a much harder road.

With that in mind, it’s important to look ahead to who could be the biggest threats to the Celtics in their pursuit of Banner 19. There are certainly more threats in the Western Conference, but for the purpose of this exercise, the Houdini will pick two teams from each conference.

Boston Celtics' biggest east threats: Bucks and Sixers

The two teams from the Eastern Conference that the Celtics should have some worries about are the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers.

The Bucks are the biggest threat to the Celtics in the East next season and will be motivated after losing in the first round. With the return of a healthy Giannis Antetokounmpo and a full offseason for Damian Lillard, the Bucks are going to be scary good next year.

Don’t count out the Bucks just yet.

The Sixers could also pose a threat to the Cs depending on what they do in free agency. Philadelphia is projected to have the second most cap space in the NBA this offseason, which could mean acquiring a star player. If the Sixers land Paul George, who has been linked with them, it could be bad news for the Celtics chances.

Boston Celtics' biggest west threats: Nuggets and Timberwolves

On the flip side, the two biggest threats in the Western Conference are the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Nuggets are the number one threat to the Celtics next season and the team with the best chance of dethroning them. Nikola Jokić is the best player in the world and will be coming back with a vengeance next year after failing to win back-to-back titles. The Nuggets also were the only team to sweep the season series with the Celtics this season.

The Timberwolves are also a threat because they are a team built to take down the Celtics. With an elite defense and a young burgeoning superstar in Anthony Edwards, the Timberwolves have all the pieces they need to dethrone the Celtics.

Ultimately, it will be interesting to see if the Celtics relish in the role of being the hunted.