4. Boston Celtics (16-5)
After losing Kyrie Irving and Al Horford during the offseason, many questioned whether the Boston Celtics would actually be a top 4 seed in the East. After the first quarter of the season, it’s becoming more and more clear that they’re the second or third best team in the conference – depending on what you think of the Sixers.
Kemba Walker has fit perfectly with this team, and Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown continue to improve as young players. Even Gordon Hayward was beginning to look like his old self before breaking his hand.
3. LA Clippers (16-7)
From top to bottom, there probably isn’t another team in the Western Conference that has more overall talent than the LA Clippers. Led by Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the Clippers will be in the race for a top seed in the West for the entire year, but there’s no question that his team is built for the postseason and will be graded by what they do there.
As crazy as it might sound, this team just needs to get to the playoffs healthy. If they can accomplish that, there might only be one other team that can beat them in a seven-game series.