The NBA media landscape has spent months cycling through every possible phase of emotional acceptance regarding the seismic Jaylen Brown trade and its aftermath. Initially, the universal consensus across the league was that Boston had been fleeced—that trading their homegrown star marked a massive step back, effectively detonating their championship window. Slowly, some of that unbridled negativity softened, with pundits conceding that the Celtics might still manage a respectable regular season, albeit while possessing zero legitimate championship equity.
Now, as the dawn of a new regular season rapidly approaches, the conversation has completely flipped. Pundits and analysts are finally talking themselves right back into Boston’s corner, recognizing that the retooled Celtics are sitting comfortably among the premier contenders in the Eastern Conference and boast every bit as good a shot as anyone to hang another banner.
Rising in the Power Rankings
This dramatic shift in perception was recently underscored by Michael Pina’s latest league-wide power rankings for The Ringer. Placing teams into distinct tiers based on regular-season projection and title odds, Pina slotted the Celtics at number four in the entire NBA.
Boston earned a prominent spot right at the top of the tier aptly labeled “Title Contenders With a Puncher’s Chance.” That ranking puts them directly behind only the consensus top-three favorites—the San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks, and Oklahoma City Thunder—who occupy the tier above as clear championship favorites. Notably, however, Pina placed the Celtics ahead of powerhouse Western squads like the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Los Angeles Lakers, while also ranking them above every other projected challenger in the East.
It is a refreshing change of pace, especially coming from a media outlet that hasn’t shied away from criticizing the front office’s offseason maneuvers. But credit is due: acknowledging the sheer talent and pedigree still residing in Boston is simply a return to reality.
Questioning the Eastern Conference Skepticism
The notion that the Celtics lack playoff equity or have somehow fallen off the map makes very little basketball sense when stacked against the rest of the conference. Other emerging contenders are being handed the benefit of the doubt despite glaring roster questions and a distinct lack of deep postseason pedigree:
- The Toronto Raptors: Pundits are ready to crown a team relying heavily on an aging, recently punished 35-year-old Kawhi Leonard who hasn’t engineered a meaningful playoff run in years.
- The Philadelphia 76ers: Trusting a quickly assembled squad featuring a 41-year-old LeBron James alongside an injury-prone Joel Embiid and virtually zero bench depth.
- Other Contenders: The Miami Heat facing shooting questions and an aging Giannis Antetokounmpo; the Indiana Pacers returning Tyrese Haliburton from a torn Achilles; the Detroit Pistons shifting rotation pieces; and a Cleveland Cavaliers side heavily reliant on James Harden.
Any of those teams could certainly defy the odds and make noise, but doing so would require breaking new ground. The Celtics, by contrast, captured a championship just two seasons ago with much of the same core and mastermind head coach Joe Mazzulla patrolling the sidelines. President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens has more than earned the benefit of the doubt, and all signs point to a motivated squad ready to silence the doubters.
While the Eastern Conference has undoubtedly grown more competitive, no other franchise in the East carries the proven championship DNA of Boston. If the national media doesn’t fully wake up to how dangerous this team remains, they are bound to look very foolish once the games actually begin.
