Crawling to Camp: Who is the Celtics’ Biggest Threat in the East? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
THE Boston Celtics They completely destroyed the Eastern Conference last season.
Boston posted a 41-11 conference record during the regular season, finishing 14 games ahead of its nearest rival (new York), then lost just two games in three rounds of playoffs before winning the Bob Cousy Trophy.
That’s a .803 winning percentage against the East over an eight-month span.
A common refrain this summer is How the East Improved. That seems like a reasonable suggestion, given the big changes made by some rivals, or the experience gained last season by the conference’s younger teams. But it also seems fair to suggest that all of Boston’s conference rivals have a pretty big gap to close, given last season’s results.
So which team is most likely to really push the Celtics in the 2024-25 season? For Part 2 of our Ramp to Camp 2024 series, we asked our NBC Sports Boston panel to rank the four best teams behind the Celtics in the Eastern Conference.Check out the first part of the Ramp to Camp series here.)
Here’s our preseason ranking of seeds 2-5:
Look, no one on this channel has maligned the Sixers more in the last five years than this writer, so putting Philly here should come as a surprise to a lot of people. But remember two things: 1) The 76ers made a big move this offseason and 2) They have this big man who is capable of dominating a playoff series.
But enough about Guershon Yabusele.
Jokes aside, we really like what the Sixers did this summer. Of course, their overall cap hit depends Joel Embiidhealth and whether he can move around the field throughout an important playoff series. But between the growth of Tyrese Maxeythe addition of Paul Georgeand some intriguing depth additions (we really think Yabusele is ready to help an NBA team now), Philly has all the elements to be a real thorn in Boston’s side.
These are no longer the Sixers of the Tobias Harris era.
Man, we really wanted to put the Pacers here. They deserve so much respect for the way they pushed Boston, even in a four-game sweep. But there seems no denying that a healthy Knicks team is a cut above Indiana depending on their veteran talent.
New York added OG Anunoby last season, then took a major turn with the addition of Mikal Bridges this summer. New York’s defense should be elite. There are holes to fill (the departure of Isaiah Hartenstein (looming on the horizon) but New York and its Villanova alumni team are a fascinating group.
4. Indiana Pacers
Every couple of years, a young team makes it to the conference finals, and we wonder if this team is making the jump or if they just caught lightning in a bottle. (Hello, 2021 Hawks!) The Pacers showed some serious grit last season. Boston could have easily been down 2-1 in this series if not for a couple of big moments late in the game from Jaylen Brown And Jrue’s Holidays.
Indy still has areas where it needs to improve, but there’s little reason to believe the offense will come back down to earth anytime soon.
We simply cannot ignore Milwaukee, if only because it is a healthy city. Giannis Antetokounmpo is still a beast. But the Bucks are a year older and never looked like a true title contender for extended parts of last season.
Maybe the Greek Freak will go supernova, but it’s hard to imagine the Bucks being able to compete with some of these young teams fresh out of the East. We’re not ready to move past the Riders or Magic before them… for now. But time is running out.
Here’s how our panel — which ranked the Celtics No. 1 in the East — sees the conference’s next four seeds entering the 2024-25 season.
Jean Tomase: 2. Knicks, 3. Pacers, 4. 76ers, 5. Cavs
New York: They have to keep everyone healthy, but if they do, the Knicks become a problem, especially with defender Mikal Bridges in the mix.
Indiana: Don’t make that face. Indy gave Boston its toughest series last year, even though it ended in a sweep. This offense is legit.
Philadelphia: Paul George is old and I’m not convinced by the NBA’s latest “super team.”
Cleveland: Size up front and speed down back, but let’s be real: neither of those teams are a match for the C’s.
Tom Giles: 2. 76ers, 3. Bucks, 4. Knicks, 5. Pacers
Philadelphia: The addition of Paul George helped close the gap.
Milwaukee: People are sleeping on the Bucks, who should be motivated after an early exit.
New York: You know they’ll play hard and defend, but I’m not as optimistic about Nova-Knicks as most people.
Indiana: They gained experience playing in the Eastern Finals and now have a full season with Pascal Siakam.
Mark Hazlett: 2. Bucks, 3. 76ers, 4. Cavs, 5. Pacers
Milwaukee: They are old, but Giannis is there.
Philadelphia: I can’t believe it either.
Cleveland: They have Donovan Mitchell and the pieces to make a move.
*Indiana: This offense is frightening.
*Insert Knicks fans looking around like Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction.
Darren Hartwell: 2. Knicks, 3. 76ers, 4. Bucks, 5. Pacers
New York: Mikal Bridges should make New York even better on defense after ranking second in the NBA last season, and OG Anunoby, acquired at the trade deadline, looks to be a serious difference-maker when healthy.
Philadelphia: The trio of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George should be enough to propel this team past 50 wins…and another second-round playoff exit.
Milwaukee: Don’t sleep on it Damian Lillardwho already spent a full offseason in Milwaukee and should be more comfortable in the Bucks’ offense. But there just isn’t enough depth here to take this team seriously.
Indiana: The offense is legitimate, and Tyrese Haliburton is a future superstar. The Pacers, however, must make big strides defensively if they want to return to the Finals.
Justin Léger:2. 76ers, 3. Knicks, 4. Bucks, 5. Heat*
*Not in the regular season, but in the playoffs if Miami is in good health.
