5 reasons the Chicago Bulls can upset the Boston Celtics
By Connor Learn
4. The Celtics are a historically weak No. 1 seed
With all of their young and future assets, NBA experts have expected Boston to make a climb to the top of the Eastern Conference at some point. Them earning a No. 1seed after the job that Danny Ainge did in rebuilding is not a surprise to fans. What is a surprise to a good number is what they were able to do so this season. The addition of Al Horford and elevated play of Isaiah Thomas were the biggest factors in the Celtics making the leap to the top of the Eastern Conference.
Boston earned the top seed with a 53-29 record. That is a worse record than three teams in the West. Additionally, four teams finished just slightly behind them with 51-31 records. The Celtics didn’t distance themselves greatly from the rest of the league despite earning a top seed in their conference. In fact, they finished with the league’s eighth best point differential, including third in the East.
The Celtics 53-29 season is the worst record for an NBA conference winner in the last ten seasons. Only five of the 80 conference winners since the NBA/ABA merger have had a record equal to or worse than Boston’s. They simply aren’t a strong No. 1 seed, all things considered. The Celtics organization should be praised for the progress that they have made; they have built a very good team. But this team isn’t feared like most No. 1 seeds would be and are more susceptible to a series upset as a result.