What the experts are saying about the Celtics’ chances this season
Four of SI's five experts predict that Brad Stevens will win Coach of the Year.
The Celtics are poised to make some noise this season after signing Al Horford away from the Hawks and drafting Jaylen Brown with the third pick in the draft.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are the defending champions and the consensus Eastern Conference winners this year, but the Celtics may not be far behind. Here are some Celtics-related predictions from around the sports world:
— ESPN: 51-31, tied for second in Eastern Conference
“Our panel sees the Celtics improving their record for the third straight season and breaking the 50-win barrier. Does it shortchange Boston to suggest Al Horford and No. 3 pick Jaylen Brown are worth only three wins? Perhaps. But though accomplished, Horford has been a part of only two 50-win teams in his nine-year NBA career.”
— Adam Fromal, Bleacher Report: 51-31, second in Eastern Conference
“The C’s have found their superstar in Horford. Better still, they did so without losing pieces more important than Jared Sullinger and Evan Turner, whose contributions can be replaced by Horford’s two-way prowess and facilitating excellence in the frontcourt.
All of a sudden, this is a deep team stocked with plenty of upper-tier talent.”
— USA Today: 50-32, third in Eastern Conference
“Nipping at [the Raptors’] heels will be the Boston Celtics, who under Brad Stevens has gotten better and better and the addition of Al Horford gives them the closest thing to a star they’ve had since the late 00’s.”
— NESN.com: 50-32, third in Eastern Conference
“The Celtics lost the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, but Horford still is a very solid addition who should fit well in Brad Stevens’ pace-and-space system. Add in a motivated Isaiah Thomas and a solid core led by Jae Crowder, Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley, and the C’s should be a 50-win team this season.”
— Sports Illustrated: All five of SI’s experts pick the Celtics to make the Eastern Conference Finals, and Andrew Sharp predicts they will beat the Cavaliers and face the Warriors in the Finals:
“It feels overly cute to pick against LeBron in the East—I’d prefer Cavs-Warriors Part Three, for the record—but I really believe the Celtics will make the Finals. They’ll be excellent on both ends of the floor, they have decent depth, and they have more looks to throw at LeBron than any team he’s faced in the East the past few years.”
Four of SI’s five experts predict that Brad Stevens will win Coach of the Year.
— Ben Golliver: “Stevens’s pristine reputation, as both a manager of personalities and an in-game tactician, will obviously work in his favor, as does Boston’s distinctly aggressive style of play, which is easily attributable to his philosophies. To boil it down, Stevens should appeal to voters as someone who built his team from the ground up, who did it with the requisite class and patience, who gets the most out of his talent, and who is a fresh face who isn’t held back by voter fatigue.”
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