(Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)
Coming into the NBA playoffs, the Boston Celtics had secured the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference after putting on an incredible regular-season performance with their new-look squad, finishing with a league-best 64 wins.
The consensus heading into the postseason was that the Celtics were the team to beat in the East and that Jayson Tatum and company would face little resistance on their way to the NBA Finals, where they’d likely face their first real postseason challenge against the best of the best in the Western Conference.
So far, it looks like the Celtics are cruising in the playoffs in the East, as they made easy work of the Miami Heat in the first round in five games and now are on the verge of sending the Cleveland Cavaliers home in five games.
With Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell dealing with a calf strain that kept him out of Game 4, it seems as though it is inevitable Boston will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals to face either the New York Knicks or Indiana Pacers, where they’d be favored against either team.
Former NBA player Udonis Haslem, who won three titles during his playing career with the Miami Heat, believes that being battle-tested for the first time in the NBA Finals is not ideal for Boston, via NBA on ESPN.
“They haven’t been battle-tested,” Haslem said. … “I don’t know if you want to be battle-tested in the [NBA] Finals.”
“They haven’t been battle tested. … I don’t know if you want to be battle tested in the finals.” @ThisIsUD on the Celtics. pic.twitter.com/18YncoGDz1
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 14, 2024
Haslem may have a point, as the Celtics could face a juggernaut in the Finals if they get by the Knicks or Pacers.
Teams like the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks, and Oklahoma City Thunder all hope to advance to the final stage of the playoffs.
Any of these teams, especially the Nuggets and Timberwolves, might be able to give the Celtics a run for their money.
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