NBA Roundtable: Jimmy Butler, the Warriors and the Beasts of the East
Who should be the favorites to come out of the East?
Schmahl: The Boston Celtics. Much like the Rockets, last year’s Celtics had home court advantage and a 3-2 lead in the Conference Finals but couldn’t close out an all-time juggernaut. Now, Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward are back from injury and LeBron has abandoned the East. Even if Hayward is 80 percent as good as his pre-injury self, Boston should be the clear favorites.
They have arguably the league’s best coach and can throw out a five-man unit (Irving-Brown-Hayward-Tatum-Horford) that nobody else in the Conference can touch offensively or defensively. Toronto may have the Conference’s best player (Kawhi) and Philadelphia may have its best 1-2 punch (Simmons/Embiid), but neither roster matches the depth, chemistry, or talent of the Celtics. They could win 65 games if everyone’s healthy.
Osborne: The Boston Celtics. The Celtics not only return a team that was a win away from the NBA Finals but they will have a fully healthy Kyrie Irving as well as Gordon Hayward. Once Hayward gets back to his former self the Celtics should be the 2nd best team in the league.
Doole: The Boston Celtics. I hate myself for this answer and how boring it feels, but they have to be considered the favorites until we see otherwise. On paper, they have one of the deepest rotations not just in the East, but in the entire league. They will have as many as nine starting-caliber players in their rotation, with a plethora of wings that can be mix-and-matched together to suit each matchup. Kyrie Irving and Al Horford are the All-Star bookends to the lineup.
Irving’s scoring was sorely missed in last season’s conference finals, while Horford’s versatility on both ends was what led the Celtics to that point. Gordon Hayward could be the team’s third All-Star talent if he can return close to 100 percent. With his gruesome ankle injury now behind him, the question is if he can replicate his excellent play from his days in Utah.
If he can even go close, he will lift the ceiling of this team even higher. Factor in the possible improvements from young studs Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier, Marcus Smart and Semi Ojeleye, and there should be no doubt about the favorite to win the East.
Butler: This is hands down the Celtics. They advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals last season with a depleted roster. With Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward healthy, I’m not quite sure how anyone in the Eastern Conference has a chance at defeating this squad four times in a series.
The only thing standing in the way of the Celtics is the possibility that Kyrie Irving really wants to join the Knicks next season. Too much foresight could cause GM Danny Ainge to make a move that is great for the Celtics in the future, but evens the playing field for this season.