The Boston Celtics won the NBA championship less than two years ago, are widely considered the best team in the East (even when everybody counted them out because of Jayson Tatum's Achilles injury and their fire sale last summer), and have an incredibly bright future.
As the Indiana Pacers look to re-enter the title picture next season and finish what they started last year, the Celtics stand as their biggest threat in the East. And it might only be getting worse for them moving forward.
In a recent episode of the "Setting the Pace" podcast, Michael Facci pointed that, not only is Boston probably the Pacers' biggest obstacle in the conference, but the team could make a big move in the offseason to capitalize its window.
"Boston's a team that, Tatum being removed from that injury and everything like that. Jaylen Brown really grew as a player. I feel like they cut so many costs this year that, what if Boston makes a splashier move to really go for it? ... Under new ownership, maybe they'll make a splashier type of move to go for it, because right now, their starting five really isn't that great. But you have two really good players," Facci said.
The Celtics remain the Pacers' biggest threat in the East
I don't know about the Celtics making a big splash this summer. They're not trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo. They're not trading for Ja Morant (if that's even considered a big splash at this point). And they're not going to have a high draft pick.
Boston might make some smaller moves to bolster its lineup (Khris Middleton, a reunion with Kristaps Porzingis, CJ McCollum, just to throw out some names), but for the most part, the roster they currently have is likely going to be the same roster they have next season.
And that still isn't ideal for Indiana, or any other team in the East.
As long as Tatum and Brown lead the charge, the Celtics are going to be title contenders. Additionally, Joe Mazzulla has firmly established himself as one of the best coaches in the league today and might even win the Coach of the Year award (much to his chagrin).
Even without Tatum for most of the season, the Celtics secured the No. 2 seed in the East and won just five fewer games, despite also being without Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Luke Kornet, and Al Horford, who all departed last summer.
The Pacers have played well against Boston in recent seasons, namely the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals (the Celtics won in a sweep, but everybody knows the Pacers gave them the toughest challenge of their championship run). And that shouldn't be forgotten. But Indiana is looking to make it all the way back to the finals next year, and it will need a lot to go its way moving forward.
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