The Boston Celtics made quick work of the Orlando Magic in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, winning Game 5 in comfortable fashion, 120-99. Despite not earning the top seed in the East, Boston is widely viewed as the favorite to not only win the conference, but to win the championship.
It's not hard to understand why that is. Boston cruised to title last season. Their competition was outmatched at every turn. Even in a weaker conference, the Celtics were so clearly a cut above the rest league-wide.
Boston was less dominant in the regular season this time around, which meant stacking 61 wins and earning the No. 2 seed behind a historically dominant 64-win Cleveland Cavaliers team. When you sleepwalk through a season and end up at 61 wins, it's generally a positive indicator.
The Celtics were able to flip the switch against a scrappy Magic team. Orlando stole Game 3 at home by a hair, but this never felt like a truly competitive series. And yet, Orlando did showcase the blueprint to for other teams to challenge — and maybe even topple — Boston. Other teams may lack the personnel to effectively follow it, but the how-to list is laid out. The Magic held Boston to the 11th-most 3-point attempts among postseason teams through five games, a wild stat.
One cannot possibly deny the Celtics' greatness, but this team feels ever so slightly more vulnerable than the one we saw run the table a year ago. The competition is also much stiffer this time around. Of the remaining title threats, here's who poses the most issues — on paper — for the front-running Celtics.
5. Denver Nuggets
It has been a turbulent campaign for the Denver Nuggets, who fired longtime head coach Michael Malone with three games left in the regular season. The defense was a mess for much of the regular season and the depth around Nikola Jokić is subpar at best, especially once you move past the starting lineup and Russell Westbrook.
And yet, there's a certain can't-quit-em nature to this Nuggets team. They've been there and done that, and Jokić remains the very best player in the world — especially on this stage. His IQ shines through when defenses are locked in. He still finds ways to poke holes in the opposing game plan and set up teammates, all while proving monstrously difficult to contain individually. There's also the matter of Jamal Murray, who remains one of our best playoff risers.
Denver will have the most dominant, matchup-proof star in any series — including against Boston. While Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford are as well-equipped as any frontcourt to give Jokić problems, Denver is still going to create advantages with Jokić that bleed into other areas of the game. If the 3s are falling, if Aaron Gordon is healthy and if Murray can uncork a few vintage heaters, the Nuggets are still very much capable of giving Boston a run for its money.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves were always the West's best-kept secret. A lot of folks were ready to write this team off after the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, but their size and physicality advantage in most matchups is appreciable. Julius Randle was also excellent in Minny's five-game demolition of the Luka Dončić-LeBron James Lakers.
We definitely all overrated L.A.'s ability to hold up defensively without a real center, especially against this bruising Minnesota frontcourt. But we also underrated how effectively the Wolves would be able to neutralize a truly potent Lakers offense. Dončić needs to get into better shape, but this was the most he has struggled in a postseason series defensively and, at times, offensively. The Wolves put him through the wringer quite effectively, hunting mismatches on one end and hitting him with a wave of length on the other.
Orlando effectively held Boston's 3-point volume in check, which is the skeleton key for negating what makes the Celtics so dangerous. Minnesota isn't without its weak points on the perimeter defensively, but with Jaden McDaniels tracking Jayson Tatum at every turn and Ant locked in as a capable on-ball stopper — along with Rudy Gobert's ability to deter any and all voyages into the paint — Minnesota can provide some real matchup difficulties for Boston. Plus, it's fair to wonder if Edwards might be the best player in a hypothetical Finals matchup.
3. Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are practically unrecognizable since the Jimmy Butler trade. We all knew Butler was a valuable addition, but a lot of us underrated just how meaningful that addition would be for a team clinging to faint title hopes. Golden State is the No. 7 seed in the West, but man, the Warriors feel completely revived with Mr. Buckets in the lineup.
Beyond his individual strengths as a player, Butler has changed how Golden State can deploy Stephen Curry and restored confidence to a veteran locker room. Steve Kerr's track record over the last couple years is not perfect, but we know he can get a lot out of the Steph and Draymond roles. Butler's ability to run pick-and-roll, put pressure on the rim and generate consistent advantages in the halfcourt has unlocked much of what made past iterations of this Warriors team so dangerous. Meanwhile, Curry is wrecking teams with off-ball motion.
Boston led the NBA in 3-point makes and attempts during the regular season, but the Warriors were the next-closest team. Beating Boston at its own game is a tough hill to climb, but if any team can match the Celtics shot-for-shot right now, it's probably the Dubs with a scorching-hot Steph. There is also baked-in experience here: Golden State eliminated the Tatum-led Celtics once before, and we know Butler has tortured them in the past. This feels like a combustable matchup if Golden State scraps its way out of the West.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs won 64 games behind an elite offense and the DPOY-level impact of Evan Mobley, so it's impossible to discount them. Boston is a tough matchup for Cleveland, but this team operates with much more purpose and precision under Kenny Atkinson. Donovan Mitchell is a dominant, dynamic advantage creator on offense, and even Boston's elite backcourt will have trouble keeping him in check. Jarrett Allen and Mobley will create plenty of issues around the paint; we might see Mobley tracking Tatum with that enveloping 7-foot-4 wingspan for stretches, too.
It feels wrong to position Boston as such definitive favorites after the season Cleveland had, but the Cavs bear a certain burden of proof after past postseason flameouts. The Heat went out sad, but this Miami team was not built for the moment, no matter how much dark magic Erik Spoelstra conjured. The Pacers are a bigger test. If Cleveland's defense can keep Tyrese Haliburton and Indy's high-powered, up-tempo offense in check, then we can start to feel better about their chances against the Celtics.
Boston is going to cruise through two rounds. I'm skeptical of a Knicks or Pistons series going more than five games. If Cleveland can get through Indiana in a similar timeframe, then we should see two (relatively) well-rested heavyweights duking it out. If Indiana can stretch the Cleveland series to six or seven games, however, Boston's edge increases.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder were the best team in the NBA this season, front to back. They became the seventh team ever to win 68 games; Five of those teams won it all. OKC also boasted the largest per-game point differential in NBA history (12.9), so it's difficult to discredit their résumé. Very few basketball arguments against OKC exist. It's all rooted in their notable lack of experience.
OKC was in the No. 1 seed last season, but fell victim to Dončić and the red-hot Mavs in the second round. Dončić is out of the picture now, though, and this Thunder squad has more veterans (plus the valuable lessons of last season). Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is going to win MVP and he'd be the best player on the floor against Boston. There is no doubt that OKC poses the most significant threat to the Celtics, should they meet on the NBA Finals stage.
Very few all-time defenses stack up to what OKC was able to accomplish in the regular season, especially when you consider the offensive boom inherent to modern basketball. OKC can blanket a team at all five positions, loaded with long, versatile athletes, almost all of whom are at the very beginning of their prime windows. Fresh legs are valuable assets in the playoffs.
If the Thunder can scheme out Boston's 3-point advantage and find fissures in a good — but not historically great — Celtics defense, then this series feels like a real coin flip. If anything, we're only picking Boston because of past experience, not based on anything we've seen in this league year. So, Boston will hope another team can unseat OKC before the NBA Finals arrive, assuming the Celtics get there themselves.
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NBA news roundup:
- LeBron James said "I don't know" when asked about how long he plans to keep playing. He has a player option for next season and his youngest son, Bryce, technically becomes draft-eligible in 2026. ESPN's Shams Charania expects LeBron to play at least one more year, but it's unclear how much longer "The King" will reign.
- Refusing to name names, JJ Redick said the Lakers need to get in "championship shape" for next season. One can't help think of Dončić, whose defensive efforts and late-game stamina were not up to par, especially late in their five-give series loss to Minnesota. Point one for Nico Harrison?
- Tyrese Haliburton's father, John, will not be attending home or away games for the foreseeable future after he butted heads — literally — with Giannis Antetokounmpo in the aftermath of Indiana's improbable Game 5 victory. This feels like an appropriate step after inappropriate behavior.