2. Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics, at least in my opinion, are going to be the favorites to make (and probably win) the NBA Finals heading into the playoffs. They were two wins short of doing so last season and return essentially the same roster while adding Malcolm Brogdon (and possibly another rotation player at the NBA Trade Deadline).
That said, over the last few weeks, the Celtics have begun to regress to a certain extent. And a big reason why is their defense. They aren’t as prolific as they were last season and it’s something that the team will have to hone in on during the final few weeks of the regular season.
There could be some more growing pains, I believe, before the Celtics round back into championship shape. I ultimately predict that those growing pains will force them to fall out of the 1-seed and enter the postseason as the 2-seed.