The 2017-18 NBA season tips off on October 17th. On opening night, the Cleveland Cavaliers will travel to Beantown to play the Boston Celtics, while the NBA champion Golden State Warriors will battle Houston.
The NBA offseason saw a number of players move from the Eastern Conference to the Western Conference. The teams out west have strengthened while the east has become weaker due to the leaving talent. However, there is one team that is the exception.
Boston Celtics are the exception
While teams like the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks lost players to the Western Conference, the Boston Celtics were the exception. Danny Ainge re-tooled the team during the offseason by signing No. 3 NBA Draft pick Jayson Tatum. Ainge then traded the team’s best player, Isaiah Thomas, to Cleveland for Kyrie Irving. The team also traded away Jae Crowder and Avery Bradley.
Eight other players were not retained, including former first round draft pick Kelly Olynyk. However, the team made a huge splash by signing Gordon Hayward for max money. He became one of the few big stars to go from the west to the east.
The combination of Irving and Hayward have many dreaming of an NBA Finals appearance for the Celtics. But the question remains, is the team worth the hype?
Hype this!
With all of the moves the Celtics made in the offseason, it can be forgiven for bettors to think Boston was awful in 2016-17. That couldn’t be further from the truth, as the Celtics were top seed in the Easter Conference playoffs. The team finished above LeBron and the Cavs, who tanked late in the season.
The Boston Celtics starting line-up should be Irving, Brown, Morris, Hayward and Horford when the season tips off. A strong starting five to say the least. Boston is -400 to win the NBA’s Atlantic Division, +240 to win the Eastern Conference and +800 to win the NBA title.
Yes, sportsbooks have jumped on the team’s bandwagon. But Boston must still prove it can win games on the court.
The poor Atlantic Division
The Celtics will have competition from Toronto in the Atlantic as the team has made a few upgrades. Overall, the Raptors have stayed the course with the team they had last season.
As for the rest of the Atlantic Division? The division is lacking talented teams and elite NBA players. Philadelphia is being tipped by many to have a good season. The 76ers are at odds of +750 to win the Atlantic, but there is little to expect the team to outplay the Celtics right now.
As for the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets, both teams will bring up the rear of the division. Neither has been good in recent time. Both teams have holes that make the playoffs a bit of a stretch this season.
Sportsbooks have the Celtics at +120 to win over 55.5 games. The team is -150 to win under 55.5 games. Boston won 53 games last season, fourth most in the Association.
The Celtics are an improved team on paper with Irving and Hayward. However, King LeBron and the Cavs are still the team to beat in the east. After the NBA’s opening night, we will know a little more about Boston’s chances to go the distance.
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