The NBA trade deadline has come and gone. The Celtics have a pretty sizable lead in the standings. So next up is looking ahead to the playoffs. I asked the staff to tell me who they consider the biggest threat to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference.
Ben Dupont
The Philadelphia 76ers. With their deadline acquisition of Buddy Hield and the emergence of Tyrese Maxey, Embiid has the help he needs to make it to a conference finals. The only question is whether or not he’s going to play. It’s very possible that Embiid will return right before the playoffs, and the Sixers will have a bad enough record that Boston will have to face them in the first or second round. That’s going to be a tough series.
Mark Aboyoun
The New York Knicks. The Knicks showed this season that they are serious and gave Tom Thibodeau the tools he needs to have a team to compete with anyone. The team is one of the better defensive teams that matches up well against Boston. Trading for OG Anunoby gives them an elite wing/ball defender. Then you have Brunson, Randle, and deadline day acquisition of Bogdanovic and Burks rounding out the talent and scoring. In addition to Hart and DiVincenzo do a bit of everything, this Knicks team is built for the playoffs.
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Trevor Hass
To me, it’s still the Miami Heat. I know some folks may disagree, but I think the Heat match up best with the Celtics of any other contender. No team in the East has a talent edge over Boston, and Miami is the only one with the head-game edge.
Tim Sheils
I believe the Cleveland Cavaliers have a chance to be a serious threat to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference, especially when considering the injuries they’ve dealt with so far. After losing both Darius Garland (fractured jaw vs Celtics) and Evan Mobley (knee surgery) in December, the Cavs finally have both key stars back in their lineup. They’re 9-1 in their last 10 games as of February 14th, and they’re now 2nd in the east behind Boston. With their size at the 4 and 5 combined with their speed and offensive firepower at the guard spot, they pose one of the biggest challenges to the Celtics on paper (emphasis on the last part).
Sam LaFrance
For me, it’s the Celtics. [Meaning they aren’t going to get beat unless they beat themselves] They’ve played as if they are head and shoulders above the rest of the conference all season and it doesn’t feel like any of the other “contenders” should be able to knock them off. Boston is simply too deep to lose any series where they’re at their best. Thinking back, there haven’t been many games where the Celtics have flat-out gotten beat. There’s almost always been an area that you could point to and go “Yeah, they lost but if they tightened this up, they’d probably win.” If I had to pick one of the others, it would be Milwaukee, solely because they’re the most talented. They certainly haven’t been playing at the level that many felt they’d be able to heading into this season. Under Doc Rivers, they’ve struggled to find any sort of stability. Since the exit of Adrian Griffin, they’ve won just four of their 11 games. They did, however, hand the Celtics their most lopsided loss of the season. It was a game where the starters didn’t play a single second in the second half because they couldn’t get anything going at all.
Mike Dynon
Cleveland has recently ripped off win streaks of eight and nine games and has taken over second place in the East while the usual other top teams have underachieved or been hit with injuries. The Cavs have mobile 6-11 Evan Mobley to match up with Kristaps Porzingis, plus a core of dynamic scorers – Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Caris LeVert – who’ve previously proven themselves against Boston. And let’s not forget former Celtic and Heat three-point specialist Max Strus, who’s always especially motivated against the Cs. The Cavs are also right there with the Celtics for best road record in the league. The Celtics make their only visit to Cleveland on March 5; expect a playoff atmosphere as the Cavs will surely want to make a statement.
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Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images
Adam Taylor
The New York Knicks. I think the additions of OG Anunoby, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Alec Burks makes them a real threat. Tom Thibodeau now has a team designed in his image. Everybody on the roster can guard. They have two elite scorers in Jalen Brunson and Bogdanovic, while Julius Randle is a physical x-factor for the team.
Embiid’s injury, Milwaukee’s defensive issues, and the Cavaliers lack of post-season experience all have me placing them behind the new-look Knicks
Jack Simone
It’s still the Milwaukee Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo is Giannis Antetokounmpo for a reason. For all the flaws that have popped up this season, talent usually wins out in the playoffs (with last year being a weird anomaly). Damian Lillard will be easy to attack on defense, but the Bucks have two top-20 players in the NBA. Considering the Celtics are pretty clearly the best team in the league, the only thing that should be able to take them down in the playoffs is talent and experience. The Bucks have both.
Sara Jane Gamelli
Undoubtedly, the Miami Heat. With a record of 30-25, they occupy the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. Taking a bold step, the Heat acquired former Celtic Terry Rozier from the Hornets before the trade deadline. Fortunately, despite narrowly avoiding a significant knee injury, Rozier remains in play. Despite Jimmy Butler’s limited appearances this season, the Heat are managing to stay competitive. While the Cavaliers and Knicks exhibit strong performances, Boston continually finds itself unable to escape its greatest rival. Having met the Heat in three Eastern Conference finals since 2019-2020, I wouldn’t underestimate Erik Spoelstra and his talented young team. Miami concluded last season with a record of 44-38, and it’s widely recognized why number 22 is dubbed “Playoff Jimmy.” This team has a ton of talent if healthy, and if they make it to the playoffs, especially with Tyler Herro and rookie Jaime Jaquez. Never count this team out, they’ve been living rent free in Boston’s head. This team has faced Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown one too many times.
