Outside of perhaps a few delusional 76ers fans, I think we can all agree the Celtics are the definitive favorites in the Eastern Conference.
That doesn’t guarantee a trip to the NBA Finals, of course, but it’s abundantly clear at this point that Boston has the best odds to represent the East.
At the same time, getting there almost certainly won’t be easy. The East isn’t quite as loaded as the West, but there are still plenty of teams capable of challenging the Celtics. Which ones are legitimate threats? Which ones are less dangerous?
Here’s one opinion, counting them down from least likely to beat the Celtics to most likely to beat them (and again, I don’t think anyone in the East is beating them this year).