Ramp to Camp: Who is the biggest threat to Celtics in the East? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Celtics absolutely shredded the Eastern Conference last season.
Boston posted a 41-11 conference record during regular-season play, finished 14 games clear of their nearest rival (New York), then lost just two games over three playoff rounds before hoisting the Bob Cousy Trophy.
That’s an .803 winning percentage against the East over an eight-month span.
A common refrain this summer is how the East got better. That seems like a fair suggestion based on the big-swing moves that some rivals made, or the experience gained last year by the younger teams in the conference. But it also seems fair to suggest that all of Boston’s conference rivals have a pretty sizable gap to close based on last season’s results.
So which team is most likely to truly push the Celtics during the 2024-25 season? For Part 2 of our Ramp to Camp 2024 series, we asked our NBC Sports Boston panel to power-rank the top four teams behind the Celtics in the Eastern Conference. (Check out Part 1 of Ramp to Camp series here.)
Here are our preseason rankings of seeds 2 through 5:
Look, no one at this network has slandered the Sixers more over the past half decade than this writer, so slotting Philly here should surprise a lot of people. But remember two things: 1) The 76ers made a big-splash addition this offseason and 2) They have that beefy big man who is capable of dominating a playoff series.
But enough about Guerschon Yabusele.
Jokes aside, we really like what the Sixers did this summer. Sure, their overall ceiling hinges on Joel Embiid’s health and whether he can get up and down the court throughout a big-time playoff series. But between the growth from Tyrese Maxey, the addition of Paul George, and some intriguing depth additions (we truly think Yabusele is ready to help an NBA team now), Philly has all the pieces to be a legit thorn in Boston’s side.
This ain’t your Tobias Harris-era Sixers any more.
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 it seems undeniable that a healthy Knicks team is a cut above Indiana based on their veteran talent.
New York added OG Anunoby last season, then swung big 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 looms large) but New York and its Villanova alumni team is an intriguing bunch.
4. Indiana Pacers
Every couple years a young team storms to the conference finals, and we’re left to ponder if that squad is making the leap, or if it simply caught lightning in a bottle. (Hey there, 2021 Hawks!) The Pacers showed some serious grit last season. Boston easily could have been down 2-1 in that series if not for some big-time, late-game moments from Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday.
Indy still has areas where it needs to grow, but there’s little reason to believe that offense is coming back to earth any time soon.
We simply cannot dismiss Milwaukee, if only because a healthy Giannis Antetokounmpo is still a beast. But the Bucks are a year older and never looked like a true contender for any sustained portion of last season.
Maybe the Greek Freak goes supernova, but it’s hard to envision the Bucks being able to run with some of these young, fresh-legged teams in the East. We’re not ready to leapfrog the Cavaliers or Magic ahead of them … yet. But the clock is ticking.
Here is how our panel — which all ranked the Celtics No. 1 in the East — sees the conference’s next four seeds entering the 2024-25 season.
John Tomase: 2. Knicks, 3. Pacers, 4. 76ers, 5. Cavs
New York: Gotta keep everyone healthy, but if they do, Knicks are a problem, especially with defensive stopper Mikal Bridges in the mix.
Indiana: Don’t make that face. Indy gave Boston its toughest series last year, even if it ended in a sweep. That offense is legit.
Philadelphia: Paul George is old and I am not sold on the NBA’s latest “super team.”
Cleveland: Size up front and speed in the backcourt, but let’s be real — none of these teams measure up to 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 high on the Nova-Knicks as most people are.
Indiana: They got the experience of playing in the East Finals and now have a full season with Pascal Siakam.
Mark Hazlett: 2. Bucks, 3. 76ers, 4. Cavs, 5. Pacers
Milwaukee: They’re old, but Giannis looms.
Philadelphia: I can’t believe it either.
Cleveland: They have Donovan Mitchell and the pieces to make a move.
*Indiana: That offense is scary.
*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 trade deadline acquisition OG Anunoby looks like a serious difference-maker when healthy.
Philadelphia: The trio of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George should be enough to power this team past 50 wins … and another second-round playoff exit.
Milwaukee: Don’t sleep on Damian Lillard, who has a full offseason in Milwaukee under his belt and should be more comfortable in the Bucks’ offense. But there’s simply not enough depth here to take this team seriously.
Indiana: The offense is legit, and Tyrese Haliburton is a future superstar. The Pacers need to make great strides defensively if they want to get back to the ECF, though.
Justin Leger: 2. 76ers, 3. Knicks, 4. Bucks, 5. Heat*
*Not in the regular season, but in the playoffs if Miami is healthy.
