Figure 1 The Celtics could be sizing up for another championship - Source: Unsplash
We find ourselves at the business end of the NBA regular season once again. Just a few more games left and we will know how the playoff bracket will look. The Celtics have already clinched a postseason spot, of course, and it seems more than likely that we will be the number two team in the East this year.
Last year the Celtics came out on top in the East and then dropped just three games on their way to a record-breaking 18th championship. Finishing behind the Cavs in the conference should not cause too much trouble for Boston to go all the way again and become the undisputed best team in the NBA.
Obviously, the Celtics would play the very best in the West in the NBA Finals but there are three rounds of playoff action before that series would start. There are a number of possibilities when it comes to who the Celtics might play but we’ve profiled five teams we think will need to be beaten if there is going to be yet another championship banner raised to the ceiling at the TD Garden.
Los Angeles Lakers
It is one of the legendary matchups in the history of the NBA. Games against the Lakers are always occasions, even in the regular season, but there are some particular finals series etched into the memory of all basketball fans. Who can forget the Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson years? Or the series of battles in the early 2000s?
This year would be a little different. The Lakers would not have really been on Boston’s radar until the trade deadline. But the shock news of Luka Dončić being traded by the Mavs changed everything. Now the Lakers have two generational talents on board, with one looking for one final championship to cap off an incredible career. Boston should still win if they meet, but this is one series made for TV.
New York Knicks
In all honesty, this is one playoff series that the majority of Celtics fans would probably be very happy with. There is a kind of local rivalry, of course, but the Knicks have been little more than a joke for the last 20 years and always seem to find a way to mess things up – usually against the Pacers.
New York has improved, however. This could be a second-round matchup for the Celtics and it would be a bruising affair, as the only two original NBA teams still playing where they began to meet. The Knicks would be in trouble if Jalen Brunson was injured again but we think that the Celtics have too much power all over the court to beat whatever New York team starts.
Golden State Warriors
If you take a look at the Western Conference standings as we enter the final weeks of the regular season, there are a few teams ahead of the Lakers and Warriors. But it is Golden State that might be the surprise team of the postseason, thanks to the run of form it has hit at precisely the right time of the year.
The Warriors have been the team in the West since the All-Star Break and have been transformed by the arrival of Jimmy Butler. He has added to an already stacked roster and given the fans renewed hope of a deep run in the playoffs. The Celtics would obviously not play the Warriors before the finals but, if they make it to that point, this would be a team on the top of its game.
Cleveland Cavaliers
As much as we might look forward to a series against the Knicks, this is the one that most Celtics fans think will stand between the team and another Eastern Conference title. It does seem as though the Cavs will take the number one seed and that should mean we meet them in the conference finals.
If that is the case, it could be that this series is the most difficult the Celtics will face in the postseason this year. That long winning streak has just ended but that would already be a distant memory by the time the conference finals came around, so it might come down more to which team is able to rest their top players in the regular season home stretch and how few games are needed to get to that point.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Unless something goes wrong, it will be the Thunder that the Celtics will face in the NBA Finals this year. As much as the Warriors have looked good since the start of the year, and the Lakers have traded for immense talent, it should still be OKC that wins the Western Conference title.
The Thunder have been winning games even without the likes of Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams – and have the incredible offensive talent of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. His points scoring is a big reason for his team’s success but he is backed up by a very good team that has blown the West apart this year. It is difficult to see anyone but the Thunder making it to the finals from the other conference.
Figure 2 Get ready to celebrate, Celtics fans - Source: Unsplash
Repeat Champs
If all goes well, the Boston Celtics will be NBA champions again this year. The Cavs and the Thunder might end up with more regular season wins but neither can match the title-winning experience of the Celtics in the postseason.
There are some very good teams in the league these days – and the threat could come from anywhere. But, this Celtics team is a very special one and it feels as though it could become the latest Boston team to dominate the NBA.