Zach Lowe Makes Stance Clear On Celtics' Chances To Win Eastern Conference
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The Ringer's Zach Lowe believes the Boston Celtics are the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference and make the NBA Finals in June. He said so during a new Zach Lowe Show that aired Monday.
“Are they the favorites (in the East)?” Lowe asked rhetorically. “I am conservative when I may calls like that, but I'll say this” No one else in the East has given me a reason to call them favorites over Boston … I guess I (need) to see more from Tatum, but they right now feel like the most coherent and complete team out of the top four to me.”
By the "top four", Lowe was referring to the other contenders in the East outside of Boston: Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, and New York Knicks.
Boston fell to the Knicks in the second round of last year's playoffs, in which Tatum tragically ruptured his Achilles tendon during Game 4.
The Celtics made a ton of offseason changes that had them talked about as a lottery team intering the 2025-26 season. Brad Stevens, Joe Mazzulla, and the rest of the Celtics' organization never agreed with such assessments, even if they kept their opinions in-house.
Boston has torn apart all expectations and grown into a true contender during what was supposed to be a gap year. Neemias Queta has emerged as a Most Improved candidate, and Boston's young wings -- Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, rookie Hugo Gonzalez, and even Ron Harper Jr. -- have all surged ahead in their development.
Derrick White and Payton Pritchard continue to add value to their offerings. Jaylen Brown has leveled up.
This has all contributed to the Celtics trending in a direction that no one outside of the Auerbach Center saw coming.
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