The Celtics Should Only Fear These Two Teams On Their Championship Run
Boston has gotten off to a terrific start in 2022, and they look to bounce back from their finals loss. The Celtics are 22-9 against over .500 teams, and they have shown that they can beat the elite teams. There is a race for the one seed in the Eastern Conference, but with how dominant the Celtics have been, there is a good chance they win the East, and the NBA Finals. However, two teams could very well stand in their way.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks and Celtics are the two best teams in the Eastern Conference at the moment. Boston is currently the one seed at 40-16, with Milwaukee just one game behind. The Bucks and Celtics have had their fair share of playoff battles, most notably just last year when Boston was able to beat the Bucks in seven. However, Khris Middleton didn’t play. The truth is, when a team has a talent like Giannis Antetokounmpo, they will always have a chance. Giannis is having an MVP-caliber year with a stat line of 32/12/5. The Bucks were able to keep the series close but Boston edged them out.
In the off-season, the Celtics added Malcolm Brogdon to their roster. Boston had needed some depth and lacked a true scorer off the bench. The Bucks have Khris Middleton fully healthy, and their whole team has clicked. With their second-round exit being extremely close, the Bucks could assume that with their second-best player in Middleton, they will be able to beat the Celtics. The Celtics had Robert Williams and Marcus Smart injured for parts during that series, and they added Malcolm Brogdon.
Both of these teams have very good chances of beating each other, and they will likely meet in the Eastern Conference Finals. The talent and coaching of the Milwaukee Bucks have matched well with the Celtics, and a series between these two teams would be very close.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets, led by two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, are looking poised to make a playoff push this year. The Nuggets have been the best team in the West and the Celtics are the best in the East. Both these teams have played each other twice, and each team won a game. If these two met in the playoffs, it would likely be a very close series.
The Nuggets with Nikola Jokic have one of the best offensive teams in the NBA. Jokic has had a terrific year averaging 25/11/10. They also have two good scoring options alongside Jokic with Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. who give around 37 points per game combined. The Celtics have an elite scorer by Tatum in Jaylen Brown. The Celtics have a very good defensive team and the Nuggets have a very good offensive team.
A finals matchup between these two teams would be electric. Both teams have MVP-caliber players, great supporting options, and good coaches. These two teams match up well on paper and their meeting in the finals would be a great watch. The advantage the Celtics have is that Jokic is a liability on defense, and Boston has a great defensive big who they hope can slow down Jokic.
Follow StadiumRantHQ on Twitter. Check out our other articles @Stadium Rant. Are you an NFL fan? Have some takes you want to get out into the world? This is the place because we have plenty of opportunities at Stadium Rant spanning the whole NFL and more!