Do the Celtics really have a clear path to the NBA Finals?
Here's a look and their leading competition.
When it was announced that LeBron James was heading to the Lakers, the immediate reaction of many Boston fans was we’ll see you in the Finals. But do the Celtics really have an easy and clear path?
The Celtics don’t need to do much roster tinkering in free agency as their two biggest additions will be the inclusion of All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward at full strength. (Daniel Theis will be back healthy, too.) They already have brought back Aron Baynes, signed former EuroLeague guard Brad Wanamaker to a two-year deal, and drafted big man Robert Williams. And all indications are that Boston intends to bring back restricted free agent and spark plug Marcus Smart.
So all signs point to the Celtics being far better than they were last season — as has been the trend from year to year in the Brad Stevens era — when they advanced to the conference finals before being ousted by LeBron and the Cavaliers, a series they could’ve won had they not run cold in the second half of Game 7.
Still, a few Eastern Conference teams could turn out to be roadblocks, whether minor or major, in Boston’s attempt to get back to the Finals for the first time since the 2009-10 season. Here is a look at those teams and where they stand thus far in the offseason:
Philadelphia 76ers
2017-18 record against the Celtics:
1-3 in the regular season, lost conference semifinals in five games.
Draft and free agency moves: The 76ers were involved in a couple of draft-night trades. Ultimately, they added shooting guard Zhaire Smith, point guard Landry Shamet, small forward Isaac Bonga, and point guard Shake Milton. In free agency, the 76ers lost out on the LeBron sweepstakes, brought back J.J. Redick on a one-year deal, lost Marco Belinelli to the Spurs, are interested in pursuing Jamal Crawford, and are still angling to try to land Kawhi Leonard.
Briefly: Philly boasts the reigning Rookie of the Year in Ben Simmons along with one of the game’s best and most versatile big men in Joel Embiid. Although the conference semifinal series between Philly and Boston lasted but five games, expect Simmons and Embiid to continue to flourish, while the 76ers bring along younger players, ideally fully adding into the fold 2017 No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz, and leaning on role players Dario Saric and Robert Covington. Brett Brown’s squad, which won 50 games last season for the first time in more than a decade, is the biggest hurdle for Boston.
Make your reads: What can the Sixers expect from J.J. Redick next season? | Landry Shamet and his mother have worked hard, and it paid off. | How LeBron James’s decision may change Sixers’ Star Hunt approach.
Toronto Raptors
2017-18 record against the Celtics:
2-2, with each team winning at home twice.
Draft and free agency moves: The Raptors did not have a draft pick. In free agency, they brought back guard Fred VanVleet on a two-year deal.
Briefly: After Dwane Casey coached the Raptors to a 59-win regular season, a No. 1 seed, and a conference semifinal implosion, he was fired, named Coach of the Year, and replaced by Nick Nurse. The Raptors’ core of Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Serge Ibaka, and Jonas Valanciunas remains intact, but Toronto’s roster is aging. Will the club leave it to Nurse to get the Raptors over that playoff hump as currently constructed or will team president Masai Ujiri decide sooner rather than later to initiate a rebuild and start stripping down the roster?
Make your reads: Will Nick Nurse be just what the Raptors ordered? | Four paths for the Raptors now: Break it up or run it back? | “We’ve got to be innovative.’’ Nick Nurse looks ahead to challenge on first day as Raptors head coach.
Milwaukee Bucks
2017-18 record against the Celtics:
2-2 in the regular season, lost first-round playoff series in seven games.
Draft and free agency moves: The Bucks used the 17th overall pick on Villanova shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo, who was named the NCAA Tournament’s most outstanding player. In free agency, forward Ersan Ilyasova agreed to return on a three-year deal. Jabari Parker is a restricted free agent. The guarantee date of Brandon Jennings’s 2018-19 contract was pushed back from July 1 to Aug. 1.
Briefly: Under new coach Mike Budenholzer, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks have a fresh start after pushing the Celtics to seven games in the opening round of the playoffs and arguably playing them harder than any other team they faced in the postseason. Budenholzer has added a handful of assistants that worked with him during his tenure with the Atlanta Hawks. With a franchise cornerstone and All-World player such as Antetokounmpo, the Bucks can begin their immersion in Bud’s system with their core of Malcolm Brogdon, Khris Middleton (who shot 61 percent on 3-pointers against the Celtics in the first round to go along with 24.7 points per game), Eric Bledsoe, and Thon Maker intact. Still, the club is still a far leap from the Celtics’ and 76ers’ level.
Make your reads: Return of Ersan: Looking further at Ilyasova on Giannis’s Bucks. | A year in, what do Bucks fans really know about Jon Horst? | Budenholzer on unlocking Giannis’s talent.
