Are the Celtics a Top 6 team in the NBA right now?

[Phantom255x]

No.

I think they are Top-4 in the East, but there are probably 5-6 teams better than us in the West.

[BudweiserCeltic]

I'm seeing too much love and sureness for the Pacers, Utah, and Denver that have a lot to prove yet. They had a nice run last year, but I wouldn't bet on them blindly.

[keevsnick]

LAC, LAL, PHI, MIL, HOU, UTAH are all better for sure, so no.

[mctyson]

LAC, LAL, PHI, MIL, HOU, UTAH are all better for sure, so no.

Why?

[keevsnick]

LAC, LAL, PHI, MIL, HOU, UTAH are all better for sure, so no.

Why?

Why is HOU better? Because they have better players. Too put it differently they had more wins in a better conference last year and have more or less maintained their team while we lost Al Horford.

[green_bballers13]

LAC, LAL, PHI, MIL, HOU, UTAH are all better for sure, so no.

Why?

Why is HOU better? Because they have better players.

I'm not convinced of that. Harden is better than any Celtic. Capela is better than any of our bigs. Eric Gordon is a good shooter who can light it up. I think Chris Paul is a shell of himself and one of the most overpaid NBA players. I prefer the Jays and Healthy Hayward over Gordon/Paul/Tucker now and in the future.

LAC, LAL, MIL, and PHI are better on paper as of now. Other teams might have more veterans ready to win now, but our young guys still have high end potential.

I think the Celtics are firmly in the second tier of teams, along with GS, DEN, IND, UTAH, and TOR.

[keevsnick]

LAC, LAL, PHI, MIL, HOU, UTAH are all better for sure, so no.

Why?

Why is HOU better? Because they have better players.

I'm not convinced of that. Harden is better than any Celtic. Capela is better than any of our bigs. Eric Gordon is a good shooter who can light it up. I think Chris Paul is a shell of himself and one of the most overpaid NBA players. I prefer the Jays and Healthy Hayward over Gordon/Paul/Tucker now and in the future.

LAC, LAL, MIL, and PHI are better on paper as of now. Other teams might have more veterans ready to win now, but our young guys still have high end potential.

I think the Celtics are firmly in the second tier of teams, along with GS, DEN, IND, UTAH, and TOR.

Too put it differently they had more wins in a better conference last year and have more or less maintained their team while we lost Al Horford. Now could Jaylen and Jayson make a leap and hayward return to form? Sure. But until they do I don't think there are many neutral observers who will say Bos is better than HOU.

[mr. dee]

It's meaningless to put these rankings because they are only on paper. There are many factors that could affect each teams (chemistry, injuries, etc.). I'll wait and see how these teams play first before I make judgement.

[alt]

It's meaningless to put these rankings because they are only on paper. There are many factors that could affect each teams (chemistry, injuries, etc.). I'll wait and see how these teams play first before I make judgement.

As they say, it's tough to make predictions, especially about the future.

I have:
LAL
LAC
UTA
DEN
HOU
GSW
POR
MIL
PHI
IND

above Boston right now.

[RJ87]

I'm seeing too much love and sureness for the Pacers, Utah, and Denver that have a lot to prove yet. They had a nice run last year, but I wouldn't bet on them blindly.

Unless Jokic suddenly stops being good or Murray inexplicably regresses, Denver will be good.

Utah literally addressed all of their weaknesses (PG play by adding Conley and shooting by adding Bogdanovic). They will be good and I project them to be better.

[GreenlyGreeny]

I suspect the West will be LAC, Utah, Denver and Golden State duking it out in the second round. Trailblazers and Lakers will fall in the first-round. Final two slots are likely Houston and anybody’s guess at this point.

The second-round of the East will be Milwaukee and 76ers against anybody’s guess. I’d say us and the Raptors, or maybe the Pacers or Nets. I can see us upsetting the 76ers if the J’s and/or Hayward become all-stars and Kemba becomes the facilitator Brad has been waiting for. Heck, in that scenario, I could see us losing in the NBA Finals to the Clippers, Jazz, Nuggets or Warriors. I do think the champion will be one of those four (don’t count out the Splash Brothers, particularly if they flip Russell for a 3 or 5 once Klay is 100% at the deadline).

[BudweiserCeltic]

I'm seeing too much love and sureness for the Pacers, Utah, and Denver that have a lot to prove yet. They had a nice run last year, but I wouldn't bet on them blindly.

Unless Jokic suddenly stops being good or Murray inexplicably regresses, Denver will be good.

Utah literally addressed all of their weaknesses (PG play by adding Conley and shooting by adding Bogdanovic). They will be good and I project them to be better.

Here's the thing though, Jokic and Murray are very young still and it's quite the burden to repeat last year's performance, particularly now that they'll have a target in their back.

Utah also lost Rubio and Crowder, and personally I've always felt that Bogdanovic has been playing above his weight-class, but more than anything it's just that I don't trust Donovan Mitchell. Conley will help plenty though.

My main point is not about them being good, but them being hands down no discussion better than many teams which I figure will be in similar positions fighting for the arbitrary top 7-8 spots in the NBA (Boston included).

What both those teams lack more than anything is a margin for error.

[RJ87]

I'm seeing too much love and sureness for the Pacers, Utah, and Denver that have a lot to prove yet. They had a nice run last year, but I wouldn't bet on them blindly.

Unless Jokic suddenly stops being good or Murray inexplicably regresses, Denver will be good.

Utah literally addressed all of their weaknesses (PG play by adding Conley and shooting by adding Bogdanovic). They will be good and I project them to be better.

Here's the thing though, Jokic and Murray are very young still and it's quite the burden to repeat last year's performance, particularly now that they'll have a target in their back.

Utah also lost Rubio and Crowder, and personally I've always felt that Bogdanovic has been playing above his weight-class, but more than anything it's just that I don't trust Donovan Mitchell. Conley will help plenty though.

My main point is not about them being good, but them being hands down no discussion better than many teams which I figure will be in similar positions fighting for the arbitrary top 7-8 spots in the NBA (Boston included).

What both those teams lack more than anything is a margin for error.

Conley is an upgrade over Rubio. Crowder has been in decline since his final season with us, so Bogdanovic is a definitely an upgrade. You can think he's punching above his weight class but he's been in the league for 7 years and he's a career 39% shooter from 3.

As for Denver, Murray and Jokic have consistently improved year to year. No regression, no plateauing but actual growth. Denver is a well coached group, I don't think their success last year was a fluke.

I believe those are clearly ahead of us because their rosters don't have the questions that our team does. The only sure thing we have is Kemba. Otherwise, everything else is a question mark. Can Hayward finally bounce back? Will Brown and Tatum take a step forward? Can Kanter be passable enough defensively?

[ozgod]

I like the fact that expectations are low. I think this team will surprise us and be a lot of fun to watch.

[Fierce1]

I like the fact that expectations are low. I think this team will surprise us and be a lot of fun to watch.

I agree.

Besides, those teams in the west will cancel each other out as only one team from the west will make it to the finals.

Right now the eastern conference is very weak because of the player movement.

Celts will most probably be the surprise team of the east.

And if Ainge can make one more move to get a star player, like Bradley Beal, Celts will be a top 3 team in the east next season.