4. Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics with Isaiah Thomas, Gordon Hayward a good supporting cast, two young prospects, a bevy of draft picks and ample cap space are set up for now and the future. Thomas last year was nothing short of sensational for Boston last year posting a career high 28.9 PPG and at times putting the Celtics on his back.
Thomas has a good supporting cast in Jae Crowder, Al Horford and now Gordon Hayward (via Free Agency). The Celtics also have some prospects they are grooming in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Brown came on strong towards the end of the season and Tatum has the potential to be a great player. Not to mention the five first-round draft picks Boston has over the next two years.
The Celtics were the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference this past season but they knew they still had their work cut out for them. After falling behind 2-0 to Chicago, Boston ramped it up to close out the series in six. The second round matchup against the Washington Wizards was widely considered to be the best series in the playoffs. The thrilling series ended in seven games with the Celtics coming out on top.
The Conference Finals matchup versus the Cleveland Cavaliers was their toughest matchup yet. Boston had not picked up a victory over Cleveland this season and the Cavs had breezed through the first two rounds. Cleveland had no intentions of slowing down and they did not, downing the Celtics in five games.
Boston has no reason to hang their heads after last season, they did better than anyone expected them to do and things are only looking up.