NBA Power Rankings: Buying the Mavs in the West; Clippers finally turning corner?

1. Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics continue to quietly dominate the Eastern Conference. Considering the moves they made during the offseason, it's not that surprising. However, the Celtics have even managed to survive a few injuries to begin the season. And it hasn't seemed to impact them much if at all. Even though this team won't be judged until they make it to the postseason, there are certainly a few things to keep an eye on between now and then.

For one, will Kristaps Porzingis continue to be relatively healthy and make it through the regular season without any huge injuries? So far so good. Even though he missed some time due to a calf injury, the fact that it wasn't a huge deal was the much bigger story. Kristaps is going to miss some time, but the only thing that really matters is if he's healthy entering the postseason.

Let's also not forget that head coach Joe Mazulla was put under a microscope in the postseason last year. The added talent has somewhat overshadowed that storyline but it's bound to reemerge at some point during the playoffs.