The Celtics were somewhat of a feel-good story last season when they completely turned their campaign around and made an unexpected run to the NBA Finals.
That won’t be the case in the 2022-23 season.
Boston will enter the upcoming campaign with a giant target on its back. As of Thursday morning, the Celtics have the shortest odds at DraftKings Sportsbook to win both the Eastern Conference and the NBA championship in the upcoming season.
Boston’s status as one of the leagues best is something Cedric Maxwell believes the C’s should be mindful of once October rolls around.
“The Celtics have a great basketball club,” Maxwell said Tuesday on NBC Sports Boston’s “Early Edition.” “The thing that they’re going to have to worry about this year is they’re not going to be able to sneak up on anybody. They won’t be able to sneak up on them cheating Lakers out there in Los Angeles. They won’t be able to do that. All of these teams you have to play against, you’re not going to sneak up on them. So, the Celtics this year are going to be the hunted. And when you’re the hunted, I think it really takes it to another level.”
Boston certainly is positioned to level up after falling two wins short of a title. The Celtics didn’t lose any top-of-the-rotation players to trades or free agency and they added a pair of reliable veterans who figure to be great fits in Boston.
So even with the expectation that the Celtics will receive the opposition’s best on a nightly basis, confidence in Boston making another deep playoff run next spring should be high.
