All signs point to yes. Even one quick look at the wheeling and dealing of these last few weeks in the NBA reveals a clear trend: The balance of power is shifting.
In one of the most eventful free-agent signing periods in American sports history, we've seen countless blue-chip free agents change hands this July, and every last one of them has landed in the Eastern Conference.
LeBron James to Miami. Chris Bosh with him. Amare Stoudemire to New York. Carlos Boozer to Chicago.
In basketball, that's all it takes. With only five guys on the floor, adding just one big impact player can turn your team around. Adding a few can rejuvenate an entire conference.
Many of the West's great superpowers are aging and rusting. Tim Duncan in San Antonio, Steve Nash in Phoenix, Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas, even Kobe Bryant in L.A. — they're all over 30, and their teams all seem content to stand pat. Meanwhile, the beasts of the East are working hard to get better. This could be a realigning year in the NBA. The Eastern Conference doesn't want to be pushed around anymore.
The Celtics' road back to the NBA Finals will be a daunting one next spring. The Heat are considered by many the favorite to win the whole enchilada, and the Knicks and Bulls are only a couple of the teams out East that just keep getting better. Orlando, Atlanta and Milwaukee haven't budged one bit — they're all still big threats.
But here's the thing: After the big dogs at the top, there's still a drop-off. The Eastern Conference is top-heavy this year, as the league's two Floridian powerhouses will quickly prove. But it's not deep.
For every real contender in the East, there are two stinkers. For every superteam, there's a super dud: a New Jersey, Indiana, Washington, Detroit or Philadelphia. The good have kept getting better in the East this summer, but the bad have remained very, very bad.
The regular season will still unfold according to plan for the Celtics. Most Eastern Conference opponents will be pushovers, stumbling into the TD Garden and falling behind 20 before halftime. Doc Rivers can let his starters sit and his bench guys coast. Every couple of weeks, though, the C's will run into a marquee East showdown, and they better be ready.
Maybe not much has changed at all. The Celtics will still be a 50-win team — all they have to do is beat the teams they're supposed to beat, and the numbers will take care of themselves. And in the playoffs, the C's can let their wisdom and experience take over.
The Celtics won the East this spring by toppling LeBron's Cavaliers and Dwight Howard's Magic. Two of the world's most supreme talents were nothing compared to the complete team effort the Celtics brought to the postseason.
That shouldn't change next year. The East is packed with more stars than ever before, but the Celtics are still a true team, and that trumps all else. The conference will be tough next season, but the Celtics will be tougher.
NESN.com will answer one Celtics question every day in July.
Wednesday, July 21: Are the Lakers still the team to beat?
Friday, July 23: Who's the leader of these Celtics?
