For the first time since entering the league in 2003, LeBron James will venture out to the Western Conference after agreeing to a four-year deal with the Lakers.
That’s obviously huge news for the Lakers, but it’s almost as impactful for the rest of the Eastern Conference as someone other than James’ team will represent the East in the Finals for the first time in almost a decade. Over James’ run from 2011-18 of reaching every NBA Finals, there have been a number of contenders to the throne, as he’s dispatched the Bulls, Celtics, Pacers, Hawks, and Raptors in the conference finals.
Now, James is gone and there are a few teams hoping to fill the void at the top of the conference’s food chain. The Raptors will run it back this season with a new coach but just about the same roster as last year, believing their kryptonite was LeBron in the postseason and not a larger issue with the roster. The Sixers will hope to build off of a season in which they took a major leap and reached the conference semifinals, following their two young stars in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, and hoping for big improvements from guys like Markelle Fultz and Dario Saric (unless they can manage to swing a big name in a trade).
However, while the Raptors and Sixers certainly feel like their odds have improved as one of the East’s top teams is no more, no team is in better position to take over the conference than the Boston Celtics. The Celtics pushed the Cavs to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals last year, famously doing so without the services of Kyrie Irving or Gordon Hayward, both of whom appear set to return by the start of next season. The rest of the rotation portion roster has stayed intact after re-signing Aron Baynes, with the exception of Marcus Smart’s pending free agency situation, which could drag out over the coming weeks as he searches for a quality offer sheet on the market.
With Irving and Hayward in the mix, the Celtics project to remain well ahead of the Sixers and Raptors on the East’s totem pole when it comes to being favored in a playoff series. How far ahead they actually are will be determined by the continued development of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
The prevailing thought is that those two players will be “better,” although how much depends on your level of optimism and, likely, whether you are a Celtics fan. In an ideal world, a young player develops lineally and you can say “if he was this, he’ll become this,” but as we all know, that isn’t the case. Tatum and Brown were phenomenal in 2017-18 and even if they stagnate next season, Boston will still be the heavy favorite in the East.
It’s possible there is some regression from one or both, particularly regarding Tatum’s shooting percentages after an unreal rookie season in the league, and Boston isn’t quite the dominant force many are expecting. It’s also possible both take the proverbial leap Celtics fans hope to see and Boston’s even better than the objective observer may believe right now.
In any case, it will be Boston’s conference to lose next year and that brings a different amount of pressure that none of those players, save for Kyrie Irving, have ever faced. The Celtics’ identity over this recent run of success has been that of the underdog. In 2016-17, it was a rag-tag group of role players that followed an unbelievable season from Isaiah Thomas to the conference finals where they were eventually overwhelmed by the buzzsaw that was LeBron and the Cavs. Last year, they were the young, unexperienced group exceeding expectations in the face of a devastating injury on opening night to Gordon Hayward and, later, a season-ending knee injury for Kyrie Irving.
This year, the expectations were always going to ramp up with Irving and Hayward back in the mix, but with LeBron in L.A., there is no doubt Boston is the favorite in the East (unless you count a very small subsection of overly optimistic Sixers and Raptors fans) and there is goliath to slay. That’s not to say the Celtics are an absolute lock to reach the Finals, but if healthy, they’ll find themselves heavily favored at the sportsbooks come playoff time in every series until the Finals (or they’re bounced out). Boston must learn to play as a frontrunner, which is easier said than done.
Boston will spend the season getting every team’s best effort. The Celtics will be the biggest road draw in the East, and teams, especially those in the playoff hunt, will be looking to prove themselves whenever Boston are in town. It will be up to Irving, Hayward, and Al Horford to set the tone for playing as the favorites, which means it will be critical that those three find their rhythm together.
The Sixers still seem a few pieces away from fulfilling their full potential and being seen on even-footing with this loaded Celtics roster, but another major leap from their young budding stars could close the gap some and make for a fascinating series — one that’s expected to decide the East for years to come. The Raptors will be the grizzled veterans of the East and, while Boston’s roster is also the same as last year, Toronto has a significant edge with regards to continuity as the Celtics will have to learn new rotations in critical moments with Hayward and Irving in the fold. Still, there’s a talent gap between those two things and Toronto’s playoff history doesn’t offer much in the way of optimism there.
A LeBron-less Eastern Conference is a strange sight. However, after years of speculation that if LeBron left the East would become a pack of good-not-great teams fighting for position, the truth is there is a clear heir apparent to the throne in Boston and it’s up to them to live up to those expectations.
