Coming into the 2018-19 campaign, the Boston Celtics seemed destined to dominate the regular season. They recently concluded an incredible playoff run, which had them just minutes away from dethroning LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Even without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, Boston managed to put together an impressive playoff run. This instantly led to an overwhelming amount of hype surrounding this team. Many expected them to win around 60 games this season and be a legitimate threat to the Golden State Warriors.
Obviously, this season has not gone as smoothly as expected for the Celtics. They currently are a disappointing fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. Their record is by no means poor at 23-15, but when compared with the teams’ expectations; they certainly have had an underwhelming year so far. It is hard not to connect Gordon Hayward to Boston’s disappointing record. He has shown flashes of greatness, scoring 30 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 1st, but overall he has not looked much like the All-Star level player he was just two seasons ago. It certainly seems as if he has lost a little bit of athleticism, and Gordon has struggled on the defensive end at times. Teams try to create switches in order to have Hayward match up with their best offensive players and he is often exploited under these circumstances.
Despite not playing up to expectations, it hasn’t been all bad for Boston. Rookie Robert Williams and veteran Marcus Morris have performed surprisingly well and are key pieces to the C’s rotation. Kyrie Irving continues to play at an All-Star level and Jayson Tatum has improved his scoring average off of a stellar rookie campaign. Boston is a good team right now, but not a great one. Are they still a contender in the Eastern Conference? Absolutely. But are they the team to beat in the conference? No, they are not.
The title of the team to beat in the East now belongs to the Toronto Raptors. They currently are sitting pretty with a 30-12 record, which is the top seed. Despite a sub-par month of December, the Raptors are overall having a terrific year with Kawhi Leonard playing like a superstar and MVP candidate. “The Claw” is averaging 27.2 points and 7.9 rebounds this season, both career highs.
Along with Leonard, Kyle Lowry is thriving for The North. He has flourished under more of a playmaking role in coach Nick Nurse’s offense, averaging by far his career high of 9.7 assists per game. Couple that with a seemingly revitalized Serge Ibaka and a most improved player candidate in Pascal Siakam, and Toronto is clearly the favorite to reach the NBA Finals. Their excellent overall team play has them as the new top dog in the Eastern Conference, unlike the Boston Celtics.
